Family memorializes young man killed while riding bike near Carson
truck struck him as he rode his bicycle on the border of Carson and Rancho Dominguez on Tuesday, sent along this photo Friday night.I don't think there was anything wrong with the picture we used from Jakob's MySpace page the other day. He's a nice-looking kid. But apparently that photo was taken at a time when Jakob, 20, was shaving his head. So his uncle wanted me to show a current photo of Jakob with a full head of hair.
It was taken at his brother's birthday party, two days before he died.
The CHP is investigating Jakob's death and whether the truck driver committed a crime. If you read the user comments below my story, Jakob's family believes the driver should be charged with vehicular manslaughter. These investigations can take some time. We'll check back with investigators to see what happens.
(The incident occurred in an area where one side of the street is Carson and the other is the unincorporated area known as Rancho Dominguez. The CHP will handle the case instead of Carson sheriff's deputies because Jakob was hit on the unincorporated side of the road.)
Family members will hold a service for Jakob today at Luyben-Dilday Family Mortuary in Long Beach. This is a closed-casket ceremony for friends.
They also have established a Web site for friends to memorialize him.
"Jakob was one of the sweetest kids you'd ever know," Uncle Vince said. "We are all in serious shock, especially since the sudden passing of my dad 10 weeks prior."
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
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Larry thank you for publishing a better photo of our Jakob. We had our services yesterday, and there were so many wonderful friends there that all said "He was my best friend!" and it was tough to see these young men and women do distraught, sharing our grief.
I just want to make sure people know we want the truth, and we want the facts confirmed rigorously and aggressively. I am hoping that the protocols for accidents like this were followed with regard to securing evidence, interviewing witnesses on the scene and surrounding businesses, toxicology tests on not just the victim but the driver, vehicle search, cellular records, etc.
Since we know practically nothing other than what the newspaper is printing, we are feeling the pressure of letting the truth slip away because we don't know what the CHP is doing. We do know they have not interviewed any of the witnesses we spoke with nearly four days after the rig hit Jakob, that we were told the driver did not need to be drug tested because the chp officer in charge "was an expert" and said he did not need to be tested (this smells fishy), and that none of the CHP people offered the parents any contact information, business card, case number, nothing. We still do not have a case number.
Victims do not have many rights apparently, because we should know a lot more than the driver of the truck does. Being kept in the dark makes for a very distrustful situation with the people who are supposed to be our public servants. Maybe they were in just as much shock as we were about this tragedy, and just forgot to do the legwork. But that isn't fair to this family.
Again, I thank you for your kindness.
What a horrible story. I have twin daughters that are 19 and a young son who is 3 1/2. I could not imagine the grief that the family has gone through. Having to bury a child is heart breaking. I use to live in Dominguez Hills and use to ride my bike on this same road. I remember the trucks that would drive through the area and always had an uneasy feeling when they would approach. I pray for the family and hope that they find peace and justice.
Regards,
M...
YEA LIKE JAKOB'S UNCLE SAID THAT IS A BETTER PICTURE. THT OTHER PICTURE JUST WASN'T HIM AT ALL. I JUST WANNA LET HIS MOTHER KNOW THT EVERYONE IS IN MY PRAYERS. I MISS HIM DEARLY TOO HONEY. I JUST CANT BELIVE THT THIS HAPPENED TO HIM. HE WAS FAR TOO YOUNG. AND TREVOR ITS OK MAN YOUR ALSO IN MY THOUGHTS. IM SORRY THT YOU LOST UR ONLY BROTHER. I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS. I MEAN YOU LOST YOUR BROTHER AND GRANDFATHER ALL WITHIN A COUPLE MONTHS. I MEAN I JUST REAENTLY LOST MY GRANFATHER. BUT LOOK AT THE BRIGHTSIDE OF IT WERE ALL GONNA BEABLE TO SEE EACHOTHER AGAIN. AND GET TO SHARE ALL THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD..
WELL I LOVE YOU ALL
hey...i was friends with jakob and we had a kind of falling out... and im sorry for that, so sorry. i miss him alot and am mourning too. thats aweful what happened and i cant get it out of my mind.