California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
The Redondo Beach intersection of Aviation Boulevard and Grant Avenue was the scene of a tragic hit-and-run accident this past weekend. According to Fox 11 News, the accident occurred Saturday night just after 9:00 p.m. A 21-year-old woman, Angelina Pinedo, was crossing the street with her sister when she was struck by a black Audi Q5, which then failed to stop and fled the scene.
Tragically Pinedo was pronounced dead at the scene. The sisters were crossing a crosswalk at the time the incident occurred, but the black Audi drove through the intersection without stopping. Pinedo was visiting her sister while on break from school at San Francisco State University. Police immediately began an investigation to find the driver behind the incident.
By Monday morning, the police reported they had located an Audi SUV with damage to the front end, the windshield, and hood. This led the police to further investigate the car owner and Leila Gonzalez, also 21-years-old, was arrested. “Detectives say she admitted she was driving the vehicle involved in the collision.” She was booked at the Redondo Beach jail on felony hit-and-run resulting in death/injury and is being held on $50,000 bail. Redondo Beach Police have asked for anyone who witnessed the accident, or anyone with more information about the incident, to contact them right away.
Whether unintentional or intentional, anytime a driver leaves the scene of an accident that they cause, they have broken the law. If they harm or kill someone and leave the scene, their criminal consequences will be more severe. However, in addition to any criminal charges they may be facing, they will also have civil liability to those they harm in the accident. In a tragic case like this one, the family of Angelina Pinedo should speak to an experienced wrongful death attorney right away. By bringing a wrongful death claim against the driver, the family will be able to receive financial compensation to help cover the unexpected costs of their loss. While no amount of money will ever bring a loved one back, wrongful death damages provide the family with financial recovery for hospital, funeral or burial expenses, as well as any other available damages.
It is also important to remember that if the suspect in a hit-and-run is not located by police, the victim’s family may still be able to get wrongful death damages if the victim was covered by uninsured motorist coverage. If this is the case, the uninsured motorist insurance would take the place of the responsible party (the missing driver), and be liable for the wrongful death damages.
A hit-and-run accident can be a scary and devastating event. If you have lost a loved one in a Southern California hit-and-run, contact us at Walch Law. We offer a free consultation to help you learn more about your rights after this type of accident and assistance on how you can pursue your case. You can contact us through our online form or by telephone at 866-65-8792.
We offer our condolences to the family of Angelina Pinedo and hope her family can get the justice they deserve.