Walking late at night in LA is dangerous because it’s harder to see pedestrians, but for homeless people they don’t have a choice. CBS reported that a homeless pedestrian died in a hit-and-run last Sunday night.
An officer at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center said that it happened at 1606 S. Grande Vista Avenue in Boyle Heights. The 62-year-old victim was crossing the street and got hit by a car.
The driver did not stop at the scene, and now police are looking for information on their whereabouts.
The report does not state whether the pedestrian was crossing at a crosswalk, or if they were wearing bright clothing. Google Maps imagery of the area does not show visible crosswalks, but does have sidewalks.
Finding fault in pedestrian accidents can be tricky. Both parties have a duty of care for the other. If the pedestrian crossed in a place with no crosswalk, other drivers might miss them and cause a crash.
However, police said that this was a hit-and-run. This means that most of the fault, or even all of it, will now shift to the driver. Leaving the scene of an accident before you give a report is a sure way to lose your chances at compensation, and face possible jail time.
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