What is with the number of Muni vehicle accidents happening recently?
Just recently, an accident involving a Muni Railway trolley bus led to two men being struck by falling streetlights.
According to reports, the trolley pole of a 49 Van Ness-Mission bus got stuck in a support wire for the overhead Muni wires while on its way to Mission.
This caused the support wire to vibrate and dislodge two streetlights on either sides of the street.
The first streetlight struck an elderly man who was quickly brought to a hospital where he is expected to survive.
The second streetlight struck another man who refused medical treatment from paramedics.
The accident disrupted the Muni bus service in the excelsior for about 45 minutes.
We do not know what’s going on but something has to be done, in the last two weeks, we saw a collision between the J-Church and the –F-Market and a pedestrian accident involving another Muni bus.
Now we got streetlights falling on pedestrians.
As a common carrier, it is their duty to exercise the highest level of care when operating Muni vehicles.
Many are already thinking that these recent incidents may no longer be considered accidents but a product of negligence.
And I do not blame them.
City and Muni officials should start reviewing the operations of its vehicles to know which aspects should be improved upon to ensure the safety of their passengers and of pedestrians.
Traffic rules were created with the aim of making the roads safe for everyone. However, these roads become dangerous due to the presence of drivers who have no regard for the law and the safety of others.
Authorities are currently investigating a high-speed collision in Rio Linda that ended the life of one person and injured five others.
The woman who died in the accident was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office as Christine Anne Ingle, 45, from Rio Linda.
According to reports, authorities responded to a collision between a Ford Explorer and Mercedes that occurred along the intersection of C and 16th streets.
The Ford Explorer driven by Ingle was moving north along 16th Street when a Mercedes that was moving east on C Street at a speed of about 70 to 100 mph suddenly broadsided it.
Police said the Mercedes driver was unable to stop at a stop sign prior to the collision.
The woman was announced dead at the accident area. Meanwhile, five people who sustained major injuries were brought to Mercy San Juan Medical Center and UC Davis Medical Center.
A 12-year-old boy is recently questioned after he reportedly backed up an ATV and knocked down his grandmother near Strathmore. The Dinuba woman was hospitalized and treated for a cut on her head.
Both the 62-year-old woman and her grandson couldn’t explain how things happen but this vehicle accident clearly shows that underage driving can result to injuries and property damages.
Parents and guardians should be strict in imposing rules with regards to driving so that children would not be harmed and cause harm to those around him.
Responsible parenting can lessen the risk of these accidents involving kids and teens and so the first step to a safer community depends on the good examples that parents show and the way they discipline their children.
A recent train accident could have resulted to at least three fatalities if only passersby did not stop to help a woman and her children trapped in their vehicle that was on the train tracks.
The unidentified woman was reportedly driving a northbound 2007 Honda Civic with her daughters, aged 7 and 10, when she fell asleep on Folsom Boulevard and drove onto a railroad track.
Witnesses and passersby were quick in getting the woman and her children out of the vehicle minutes before the passenger side of the Civic was totaled by a passing train. Neither one of the four passengers nor the train operator was hurt in the crash.
Though the train had damages, it was able to run after the debris of the crash was removed.
Train accidents often result to massive property damages or death. Luckily, no one was even slightly injured in this accident as the driver who fell asleep will be liable for her actions.
I hope next time she doesn’t put her children at risk by driving negligently. Fatigue should never be underestimated and drivers should get enough rest before they drive out the road.
A 14-year-old Sanger boy who was heading east in a Toyota pick-up with an 18-year-old passenger got involved in a fatal vehicle accident after a westbound SUV crossed the double lanes and hit the approaching pick-up.
The SUV veered off the road and flipped over. The 35-year-old front seat passenger died at the scene while the driver, 30-year-old Similiano Carillo sustained moderate injuries. Carillo’s other 40-year old passenger sustained serious injuries. The teens in the pick-up were treated for minor injuries.
Clearly, Carillo is at fault in this accident. However, the 14-year-old driver shouldn’t be unpunished as what he did was negligent and dangerous. He was certainly driving without permit that time because he is not yet legally allowed to drive a vehicle.
I hope parents of teenagers who are learning to drive should restrict their children or allow them to practice with an experienced adult in areas where no one will be placed at risk.
An elderly man called authorities after suspecting that he may have caused the death of a teen skateboarder in Vista recently.
The unidentified man, who is said to be around 90 years old, phoned authorities after he passed through a candlelight vigil for 15-year-old Lucas Giaconelli of Vista.
The man found out that the teen was skating with three of his friends in that area when he was hit at the back by a white Toyota Camry. The teen died at a hospital moments after the car accident.
Upon learning of the accident that killed Giaconelli the night before from the participants of the vigil, the man remembered hitting “something” in that area but never got out to check it. He suspects that he hit Giaconelli.
His suspicion is further backed by damages to his vehicle that authorities also discovered.
Elderly motorists should be more cautious when driving in poorly-lit or dark areas and always make it a point to check things out if they suspect that they hit something because their senses are not as sharp as they were before.
