By Robert Haugh
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Santa Clara early Sunday morning.
The collision happened at 1:27 a.m. at the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Monroe Street.
The pedestrian, a woman who has not been identified, was walking westbound on Monroe in the crosswalk when she was struck by a Honda SUV that was northbound on Lawrence.
The driver of the SUV, a 49-year-old man from Campbell, remained at the scene and cooperated with police. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the collision.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision, has video footage of it, or knows the identity of the woman to contact Traffic Investigator Scott Wilson at (408) 615-4764.
Anonymous information can be shared by calling the Anonymous Tip Line at (408) 615-4TIP (4847).
The Santa Clara Police Department is investigating the collision.
Robert,
What did the police department say about any pending investigation or if there is one at all? I wonder if there is any effort to deduce how fast he was driving.
The description says the woman was in the crosswalk but does not say if the car driver had a green light or otherwise.
Even if the driver had a green light and the woman was crossing against a red light she has right of way and even if it is night time if a person is walking across the street and has made it partway across but the driver cannot avoid hitting them then the driver is driving too fast.
If the woman suddenly ran out into the street without looking then maybe there was no avoiding hitting her. But if she started walking when the car was far away but the driver was driving at fast freeway speeds like many people do on our expressways then her death may have been totally avoidable if the driver had simply obeyed the speed limit or had been more aware.
I was just driving on Lawrence Expressway today at fifty miles per hour which is already five miles over the speed limit and another driver zoomed up behind me and before I could move right for him he impatiently wove his way around me at what seemed like seventy miles per hour easily.
We need to bring back traffic enforcement. You cannot drive for more than five minutes on Lawrence or San Tomas without seeing someone driving sixty or seventy miles per hour like they are on a freeway.
No additional details were provided, other than it is an active investigation.
“ Even if the driver had a green light and the woman was crossing against a red light she has right of way.”
This is incorrect, a pedestrian can be at fault for the collision (Primary collision factor) if they are walking against a red light or pedestrian signal. Pedestrians do not always have the right of way.
As far as a criminal investigation, all major collisions are investigated fully to see if any criminal charges should be filed with the DA’s office. This often takes up to 6 months. The Traffic Investigator needs to wait for the collision reconstruction team to complete their report and the medical examiner’s toxicology report on the the person who died.
Once this is completed the TI will make a recommendation to file charges with the DA’s office.