San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers

We posted last month about the tragic death of a little boy in an Encanto pedestrian accident.  The driver in that crash initially fled the scene but soon returned to identify himself.  Now comes word that the man who was driving in that fatal crash, 18-year-old Samuel Metu, will stand trial for a charge of felony hit-and-run causing death.  The driver’s defense lawyer attempted to reclassify the case as a misdemeanor, but the judge denied the request.

According to police and court documents, this fatal San Diego county pedestrian accident occurred on July 9 on Madrone Avenue near Woodman Street at approximately 12 p.m. The child darted across the street in front of Metu, and the driver admitted that he did not see the boy because he was distracted by something that caused him to look to his left.  He did not see the boy in time before hitting him.

San Diego Pedestrian Accident Statistics

We’d like to send our hopes that the family of the boy who was killed is working through their grief and shock as best they can, even though this type of loss will be difficult to overcome in many ways.  In addition, this San Diego County pedestrian accident will only add to the overall statistics in this regard.  Every year, approximately 70 people are killed in these accidents and another 400 are injured.  In addition, distracted drivers remains one of the leading causes of California car accidents.

San Diego Wrongful Death Lawyers

It is clearly too early to tell how this criminal prosecution will play out.  Regardless, though, this case will not prevent the family of the boy who was killed from filing a California wrongful death lawsuit.  If such a case was filed and successful, it could award damages to the family that compensate them for any monetary losses they sustained as a result of this accident and for other forms of intangible loss.

If you have lost someone because of a distracted driver, you need to seek the help of San Diego personal injury lawyers who have been holding negligent drivers accountable for many years.  Contact Mitchell | Gilleon today to schedule a free initial consultation.