Thousand Oaks Car Accidents Blamed on Dangerous Crosswalks

With today's emphasis on exercise, Thousand Oaks car accident lawyers are more aware than ever that people are walking and riding bicycles instead of taking the car. This is especially true in Thousand Oaks, one of the safest cities in the country. Unfortunately, Thousand Oaks has seen some very serious car accidents involving pedestrians.

In one alarming car accident, Argelia Rojas, 49, was hit by a car and critically injured at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Devonshire Avenue. The car accident occurred in March 2009, when Mrs. Rojas crossed the street and had to throw a 2-year-old boy, who she had with her, clear of an oncoming car just seconds before she was hit. Luckily, the child suffered only minor injuries.

"Mrs. Rojas's quick actions should be commended," noted John Bisnar. "This car accident could have ended far more tragically. Traffic enforcement should be a high priority at any crosswalk to reduce the likelihood of further car accidents."

At another dangerous intersection, a school crossing guard was struck by a car in Thousand Oaks--at Lynn Road and Knollwood Drive. To better control traffic at this troublesome spot, Thousand Oaks installed a lighted crosswalk called a Smart Crosswalk. Equipped with flashing lights that warn motorists when the crossing is being used, Smart Crosswalks make intersection safer for pedestrians. Thousand Oaks Police Chief Dennis Carpenter indicated that Smart Crosswalks are being installed in other areas of Thousand Oaks.

Drivers who run red lights pose an additional danger to pedestrians. Thousand Oaks responded to these scofflaws by installing Public Safety Signal Indicators on the backs of traffic signals. The indicators flash blue when the traffic lights turn red, allowing officers to be on the same side of the intersection with red-light runners. This prevents officers from having to chase violators through an intersection--a dangerous tactic--after the light or left-turn arrow has gone red.

These much-needed traffic improvements come just in time in high pedestrian-traffic cities like Thousand Oaks. Hopefully, they'll bring down the troubling statistics of car accidents at intersections. California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reported that three pedestrians were killed and 23 were injured in Thousand Oaks traffic accidents in 2006. In Ventura County, from January 2000 to November 2006, there were 2,350 reported accidents involving bicycles. In the following year, The National Highway Transportation and Safety Association revealed 640 pedestrians died in California car collisions. Nationwide, 4,654 pedestrians lost their lives and nearly 70,000 were injured in car accidents.

Be on the Hit-and-Run Lookout

BISNAR | CHASE, in conjunction with WeTip, a leading anonymous crime reporting service and law enforcement advocacy non-profit organization, is launching a program intended to wipe out hit-and-runs in the state of California by offering rewards for tips leading to the arrest and felony conviction of hit-and-run drivers. See Hit-and-Run Reward for more details.

BISNAR | CHASE 2006-2010 Super Lawyers names outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. BISNAR | CHASE has received this award for five consecutive years. Brian Chase was named one of the 2010 Top 50 Orange County Lawyers.