UPDATE: Driver loses control on RPV road, kills pedestrian
An 18-year-old motorist allegedly speeding on a steep Rancho Palos Verdes road, lost control of his car Sunday and veered into the sidewalk, killing a man on his morning walk, deputies said.
The 7 a.m. crash occurred on Hawthorne Boulevard near Alta Vista Drive, where the curvy route descends toward the ocean, sheriff's Sgt. Tony Blanchard said.
"That's a dangerous area," Blanchard said.
The victim, a 49-year-old man, was walking up the hill, Blanchard said.
"He was walking, facing traffic," Blanchard said. "He was facing that way."
The 7 a.m. crash occurred on Hawthorne Boulevard near Alta Vista Drive, where the curvy route descends toward the ocean, sheriff's Sgt. Tony Blanchard said.
"That's a dangerous area," Blanchard said.
The victim, a 49-year-old man, was walking up the hill, Blanchard said.
"He was walking, facing traffic," Blanchard said. "He was facing that way."
The young driver and his two passengers, who were similar in age, were
headed south down the hill when the driver lost control, deputies said.
The small silver compact car spun around and slid toward the sidewalk, jumping the curb.
After hitting the pedestrian, it sideswiped six to eight trees and slammed into a 6-foot-tall block wall, taking out about 30 feet of it, Blanchard said.
Debris landed in a residents' pool on the other side.
The car bounced back and came to rest in the roadway.
Blanchard said the pedestrian was lying on the ground when he arrived at the scene.
The man was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died. His name was not released pending notification of relatives.
The car's driver and his front passenger suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. The back seat passenger, however, had a 6-inch gash on his head and was taken to a hospital for treatment, Blanchard said.
Investigators do not believe alcohol contributed to causing the crash, Blanchard said. The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was not arrested.
The crash, however, remains under investigation and he could face charges. Lomita traffic detectives will forward their reports to the District Attorney's Office for review, Blanchard said.
"Had he been drinking he would have been arrested," Blanchard said.
The southbound lanes on Hawthorne Boulevard were closed until about 11 a.m. for the investigation.
The small silver compact car spun around and slid toward the sidewalk, jumping the curb.
After hitting the pedestrian, it sideswiped six to eight trees and slammed into a 6-foot-tall block wall, taking out about 30 feet of it, Blanchard said.
Debris landed in a residents' pool on the other side.
The car bounced back and came to rest in the roadway.
Blanchard said the pedestrian was lying on the ground when he arrived at the scene.
The man was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died. His name was not released pending notification of relatives.
The car's driver and his front passenger suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. The back seat passenger, however, had a 6-inch gash on his head and was taken to a hospital for treatment, Blanchard said.
Investigators do not believe alcohol contributed to causing the crash, Blanchard said. The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was not arrested.
The crash, however, remains under investigation and he could face charges. Lomita traffic detectives will forward their reports to the District Attorney's Office for review, Blanchard said.
"Had he been drinking he would have been arrested," Blanchard said.
The southbound lanes on Hawthorne Boulevard were closed until about 11 a.m. for the investigation.
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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.
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Murder a man, and no arrest ? Speeding and no arrest ? Merry Christmas, to the unfortunate family of the victim. Put the punk in jail and throw away the key. Ridiculous.
No alcohol...what about drugs? 18 year olds driving around at 7am after a Saturday night...
If they drove the speed limit they would have not lost control. Maybe they weren't drinking, but were they high! Three teams in a infiniti sports car early sunday morning. Seems to me they were not headed to church. Sounds like they were coming home a night of partying.
Dave, give the kid a break. It was an accident and not one that was influenced by drugs or alcohol as far as we know. (If it was, that changes things.)
But really, it wasn't murder; it was accidental manslaughter. And you give a ticket for speeding, not an arrest.
Merry Christmas.
Dave, hold on a minute. You need intent for murder. Perhaps a charge of involuntary man slaughter may be brought if there was recklessness involved.
well the driver lost control of his car. he wasnt drinking so he shouldnt be at fault. i mean he did kill the guy but what can you do?
omg
35 years minimum, no one should be allowed to be that stupid
anybody talks smack on this you are dumb because you think you are cool and all talking smack about someone you know
but really
you are not
accidents happen
get over it
k?
k =)
couldnt agree more
I like how the article says the person "may" face charges. If this isn't manslaughter and gross negligence, I don't know what is.
This kid was probably going too fast, lost control trying to impress his buddies and ended a innocents man's life. But no arrest and they let the kid go? horrible. just horrible.
This is ridiculous. This kid should be put behind bars
18 year old kid driving down RPV at 7 in the morning could have meant he was off to an early christmas sunday service for church. speeding however is no excuse to be reckless. everyone saying this guy should go to jail then shouldnt everyone that gets into an accident for accidental assault and battery? was an accident, roads can be dangerous.
Mike who said they were driving a sports car?
Everyone chill. I'm sure there is an investigation at this point and the DA is considering charges. If excessive speeding and/or drugs/alochol are factors, this kid can expect at very lease a reckless endangerment or vehicular manslaughter charge.
This kid could see jail time.
OK I am a college student from that area and even if they were coming back from a night of partying, they would not be driving crazy at 7am. Anyways Hawthorne over there is quit slick and even if you were going the speed limit accidents can always happen. Also, if it was an adult that hit the old man there would not be so much discussion as to wether or not the driver should be arrested. Think about that. And to all the people who are acting rude to the driver, theres a psychology term that talks about how people are more aggressive online, when they know they can be anonymous. You need to calm down so you don't jump to conclusions about the drive.
This IS ridiculous. First off, it WAS a sports car. Second, he WAS drinking. Though he is not directly at fault with this, it is his responsibility not to drink and drive. This is absolutely insane,this kid should not get just a slap on the wrist. And this is not jumping to conclusions, this is fact.
ya no one should be jumping to conclusions considering part of this story is missing
It was an infinit sport car. I drove by the accident. That is how I knew the car was a sports car.
We are acting rude because we always see cars racing up and down our streets and are upset about it. People are racing their rice rockets through neighboorhoods where children are playing, etc. This accident was right down the street from an park. Imagine if they were holding a volleyball tournament and the driver lost control an ran through the tournament.
If you saw how much damage was done to the wall all you could do is assume that they were going at a very high rate of speed.
I am disgusted by this. I go to school with the boy who did this. He deserves to go to jail. HE KILLED SOMEONE. THE END.
I know the driver personally and he does so many stupid things. There goes his third car within half a year. He shouldn't drive and he should be more careful since he is responsible if someone gets hurt. I hope he learned his lesson.
I drove past this on my way to the driving range at Los Verdes. Seeing the damage done to the car and the description of the the damage to the wall...the car sideswiping how many trees? hitting the wall and bouncing back to the road?
Make no mistake, this car was moving very fast.
I know for a fact this kid had been drinking! I know the passenger who was injured in the back seat. They had all been partying the night before!
The cops were grossly negligent in not hauling this idiot in for a breathalyzer!!
It is a complete travesty that this kid was not checked for alcohol and arrested. I also have first-hand information that all 3 in the car were drunk and were coming off an all night binge! Their last binge was after 5:00am! What the hell is wrong with the cops!? The family of the dead man deserves better than that!
Hi...for everyone out there I was with the driver and the people in the back the whole night and I guarantee you he was not drunk or high. His passengers were drunk but they slept through it and then woke up after 5-6 hours. So for all the people hearing rumors, I'd say you stop. Imagine you in this situation and you hear about people like you making rumors like this. By the way he hasn't been eating and waking up in the morning for him is a living hell knowing what he did. So everyone should just stop.
I personally know the driver, and he is very nice at heart. He does many careless things, but he is never the type of person to intentionally hurt anyone. I have met his parents, and they are so kind.. I can't imagine what they are going through. Imagine if your only son had accidentally killed a man, and now he is facing jail time, or losing your house because of him. All his parents wanted for their son was to be happy, and they got him this car for his senior year. Imagine their guilt for trying to make him happy. He doesnt deserve any slack for what he has done, but remember, that the driver is human too. Imagine how hard it is for him to pick up the pieces right now.
The cops say they weren't drinking, and they probably weren't drugged. If that's so, this guy was still enormously above the speed limit ("sideswiped six to eight trees and slammed into a 6-foot-tall block wall, taking out about 30 feet of it") and should not have a license or a car.
Arrest? Too extreme. But he definitely shouldn't get his license back this time.
Going to be very hard on the family..husband and father of three girls - a newborn, a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old - had worked as an associate professor at Marymount's math and science department since 2001.
This case and cases like this (even the Tiger Woods case) involve human beings. We should assess punishment, allow retribution and then move on with it.
Especially with the teenager; he acted improperly, yes... but as a whole, these human beings are good and we need to guide them back into the fold. Not make it so bad for them that then see no way back and could perhaps hurt themselves in depression.
These are good people, doing wrong that others are also guilty of doing wrong. Because these cases become so public, instead of running them through with a stake, we should embrace the opportunity to use the publicity to educate. Tiger would probably jump at the chance to reeducate about women publicly. Then the whole word grows and we get to keep our heros.
Who wouldn't drive fast when your young (psychology says that their brains aren't mature until age 21)...
Who wouldn't lose their way with so much power, money and LOOSE women wanting attention.
We need to use this opportunity to educate our wonderful boys so that they can transcend into role models and good citizen's again. There is no room for blind pursecution with our beloved family. Yes, they did wrong and need education.