We are receiving early reports of a serious pedestrian accident in Hemet, California, earlier today. The car versus pedestrian accident apparently occurred outside Hemet High School, and ten students of the high school were injured when they were hit by a car. The Hemet car accident resulted in three of the students suffering critical injuries. All ten injured students were taken to local hospitals. Two other students reported minor injuries in the Hemet accident but did not require emergency transportation.
The Riverside County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol apparently responded to the Hemet High School accident, which occurred at approximately three o’clock this afternoon. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Hemet students were hit by the car near the front of the school, on Stetson Ave.
UPDATE: The Press-Enterprise is reporting that witnesses said that a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, driven by a student of the school, allegedly ran a red light and hit the students who were crossing the street in a crosswalk. Apparently the truck versus pedestrian accident was recorded on school cameras and the student was detained by the California Highway Patrol.
It is unclear at this point why the student allegedly ran the red light and collided with all of the students in the crosswalk. Investigators will have to determine if the student acted intentionally or if it was just a very unfortunate truck accident. Sometimes pedestrian crashes like this occur when a driver is not paying attention and texting while driving. The driver does not realize that a light has turned red and by the time he or she does realize it, it is too late. This is why it is illegal in California to text message while driving.
The families of all of the injured students are advised to contact a Hemet personal injury lawyer right away to find out all of their rights. The victims of this sad incident should be entitled to personal injury damages, but many times in an incident such as this, there is not enough automobile insurance coverage to cover all of the serious injuries suffered by the victims. Our office is available for a free consultation with any of the families of the victims of this incident and we wish all of the injured victims our best for a full and speedy recovery. We can be reached at 818.222.3400 for a free consultation.