A father walking with his son on the sidewalk at Madera Elementary School in El Cerrito Monday afternoon was struck by a car that jumped the curb and pushed him into a tree, police said.
The man – a 40-year-old El Cerrito resident – was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, said police Traffic Sergeant Sean Maples. His son was not struck.
The car was driven by a woman who had just picked up her daughter at the school, Maples said. She had parked next to the sidewalk on the south side of Madera Circle just west of Arlington Boulevard, he said.
"The driver had the wheels of her Toyota Corolla turned slightly to the right when she accelerated and released the parking brake," Maples said in an email. "The vehicle drove onto the sidewalk striking a parent that had just picked up his son."
"The pedestrian was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle as the vehicle crossed the sidewalk and entered the side yard of the residence located on the corner," he said. "The vehicle came to rest against a large tree, pinning the pedestrian between the branches of the tree and the windshield of the vehicle. The pedestrian freed himself and was treated at the scene by the Fire Department and Paramedics from AMR."
The driver, a 54-year-old El Cerrito resident, was cited for being an unlicensed driver and her car was impounded, Maples said. Neither she or her child were injured in the accident, he said.
Police responded to the report of the accident at about 2:50 p.m., he said.
"It is extremely important for parents, School Staff and members of the community to work together to assure that our children can safely arrive and depart our school facilities," said Maples, who met with Principal Alison Makela and school staff after the collision to explain what happened. "The City has been working closely with the school and the neighborhood to address concerns in the area for several years. Several changes have recently been implemented and additional changes are scheduled for the coming months."
"As a simple reminder," he added, "please drive safe and with the safety of our children in mind at all times when travelling the streets of our community, follow the rules of the road and all parking regulations."
Anyone with additional information about the accident is asked to contact Maples at 510 215 4435.
In a perfect world that is. I'm sure this driver will get off with a stern finger-wagging.
The offender needs jail time, a punitive fine that helps fill city coffers, and a hefty settlement (assuming this vehicle is insured) for the victim.
At any rate, licensing has nothing to do with competence.
http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content34107.aspx
I certainly agree that more action needs to be taken to punish the offender. I volunteer five days a week doing traffic safety at an elementary school, and you wouldn't believe how selfish some drivers can be, even around young children.
to produce great bodily harm or death, willfully causes or permits any child to suffer, or inflicts thereon unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering, or having the care or custody of any child, willfully causes or permits the person or health of that child to be injured, or willfully causes or permits that child to be placed in a situation where his or her person or health is endangered, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison for two, four, or six years.
I carefully selected my words to raise the possibility of such, that it "can" happen, that it is possible, depending on the circumstances. I cited the weblink because it did illustrate the points to be considered for such a determination. If one does not possess a license because they are unable to demonstrate competency behind the wheel, then this could be seen as child endangerment as they knew they were exceeding their limitations at the time they placed a child in their vehicle. If the law says you are not ready to be behind the wheel of a car, and you ignore that law, aren't you taking a risk? Aren't you knowingly risking the health and safety of others, including all passengers and everyone else on the road, or sidewalk? And yes, maybe it was nothing more than a normally competent individual having a bad day, while at the same time, not possessing a license. But if they are unlicensed, then they have not demonstrated such competency.
Opposing mandatory ID is an American thing, not a nut case thing.