Woman hit in crosswalk on Mission

The irony of the report coming from the paper that struck her.

That is terrible and I wish her the best in her recovery.

pedestrian struck in crosswalk.... sounds like assault to me.

Ive been waiting for this to happen since I saw that crosswalk. It might as well have "suicide" painted between the yellow lines. Who would put a crosswalk on this busy street without a real traffic light? There should be lights at EVERY intersection on Mission. That way cars could pull out and cross traffic and peds could live.

Hey, Moo, I agree that most pedesrians just walk out in front of vehicles expecting them to stop. How ridiculous. Didn't anyone's parents tell them to look both ways before stepping out into traffic? Never claim the so-called right-of-way without knowing that the drivers have seen you and are going to allow you to across. I don't care what the law says. I feel sorry for this woman who was hit and seriously injured, but I'll bet she stepped out without caring who was driving toward her.

the cow says - MOOOOO wrote:

So, did she just walk out into traffic (albeit into a crosswalk) without looking both ways first? It's rediculous that people automatically think it's the vehicle's fault especially when Santa Cruz is known for people not paying attention to what they are doing (mainly bicyclists and pedestrians).

I hope that the woman recovers soon.

You do kind of hate to say it but you see this happening every day. It's not just Santa Cruz but pretty much Northern California. People just walk out into the street at a crosswalk because it's their right to do so. I'm not saying this is what this particular woman did. But people around here do feel a sense of entitlement about the cross walks.

3rd Paragraph: "Police said no one was arrested and they do not suspect speed or alcohol was involved in the collision."
When two moving vehicles come together, it's a collision.
When a moving vehicle strikes a pedestrian, it's NOT a collision.

the cow says - MOOOOO wrote:

So, did she just walk out into traffic (albeit into a crosswalk) without looking both ways first? It's rediculous that people automatically think it's the vehicle's fault especially when Santa Cruz is known for people not paying attention to what they are doing (mainly bicyclists and pedestrians).

It’s not hard to get hit by a car or truck in SC. I have stopped many times to let someone cross the street only to have some dump A ** just blow right by me almost hitting the person in the cross walk. Drivers have a reasonability to pay close attention to pedestrian in a cross walk, it’s the law. Get a grip, it’s a life you playing with!

I was in SF last weekend and will be tomorrow where pedestrians seem to think this is sport taking a sharp turn off the sidewalk into traffic without the slightest glance up or down the street especially those with ear buds on. I got a ticket in Los Gatos where the potential cross walker was a good 10' back from the walk where the SO said they were clearly walking to the crosswalk. The judge through it out.
I'm sorry this happened but take some responsibility people for your own lives. You don't help yourselves, family or friends to become dead right.

The newspapers probably use "independent contractors" to try and shield themselves from liability claims. Hopefully, as a commercial vehicle, the driver will have more liability insurance than the 15K mandated by the state for personal automobiles. After I was struck by a car on my bicycle, I was astounded to learn that the minimum is only $15K. I think people would be surprised to know how many people are driving around with the minimum. In this day and age,$15K won't cover very much.(My ambulance ride & 3hr stay at Dominican was $5K). The cost of even a few days at the hospital might easily exceed 15K. The state really needs to up the minimum liability coverage amount to $150K or more to get with the times.

How about the cars slowing down and driving the speed limit?The sign says 25mph but I drive 30mph and get flipped off and passed by EVERYBODY!!

A police crackdown like the one several months ago needs to happen. Drivers need to be alert, and if a police sting is what gets this to occur, then so be it.

They didn't say what the vehicle looked like, but there is a white car that delivers papers in that neighborhood, that I have seen driving fast and recklessly.

Even if she just turned an ankle she now has a 5K bill to cover for the chopper flight out based on the mechanism of injury and not actual. I could see this if it was a midwest sparsely populated ag area,but not here. I wonder if you could file a DNF-DO NOT FLY!

Is this the crosswalk in front of Longs? The one with the flashing lights? If that's where she was crossing, then she had every right to expect to get across that street alive.

SLOW DOWN out there, people.

MeeToo wrote:

They didn't say what the vehicle looked like, but there is a white car that delivers papers in that neighborhood, that I have seen driving fast and recklessly.

The west side is like a huge grid and there is more than 1 vehicle to cover the whole west side. I live off of mission st and my carrier drives a big green van.

Be Careful Out There wrote:

Is this the crosswalk in front of Longs? The one with the flashing lights? If that's where she was crossing, then she had every right to expect to get across that street alive.
SLOW DOWN out there, people.

Not everyone uses that light. Besides, the carriers deliver before the sun comes up, if she could see the car lights, then why start to walk? why not wait for one car to pass by then you know you are safer AFTER the car passes.

SOYLENT GREEN wrote:

Even if she just turned an ankle she now has a 5K bill to cover for the chopper flight out based on the mechanism of injury and not actual. I could see this if it was a midwest sparsely populated ag area,but not here. I wonder if you could file a DNF-DO NOT FLY!

Try $20-30k. If your insurance doesn't cover it you can by coverage through Calstar and their Nor Cal competition for a low rate.

They of course left out one important fact. The woman was hit around 5:30 am, still dark out , clearly the woman should have made sure she was seen, even if you have the right of way. I would not step into a crosswalk unless the cars have already stoped. Because most cars are driven by morons who just dont give a damn.

I make a special point to stop for pedestrian crossings since I walk around town alot. I know how it feels to have drivers not care whether they hit you or not. I find those tall crossing lights on Mission confusing. They seem taller than stop lights so sometimes I don't realize they're flashing until I'm right up on the crosswalk. Last night I stopped at one for a group of people. The idiot behind me swapped lanes fast and nearly took out the group.

It is called right-of-way and all pedestrians have it. It is not an imagined sense of power, it is a tangible law.