3 teen girls killed in California Halloween hit-and-run accident

Two 13-year-old sisters and their 13-year-old friend were killed when a hit-and-run driver struck them at a crosswalk in California on Oct. 31. The girls were trick-or-treating in Santa Ana and were crossing Fairhaven Avenue at Old Grand Street when a black Honda SUV entered the crosswalk, striking the girls and throwing them more than 100 feet away from the site of the impact. The SUV then left the scene.

Witnesses found the girls lying in the street after the crash. All three died at the scene. Bystanders called police to report the hit-and-run.

The SUV’s driver, a 31-year-old Orange man, abandoned the vehicle in a parking lot near the scene of the accident and fled. His two children, ages 14 and 17, were with him at the time of the accident. On Nov. 2, police located the man at a motel in Stanton, where he was staying with his children, his mother and half-sister. He was charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run causing death, all felony charges. He was also issued a citation for driving with a suspended license. His bail was set at $500,000. The man previously pleaded guilty in August to DUI, hit-and-run with property damage and child abuse.

Burial expenses, bereavement periods from work and other expenses following the death of a child often throw households into financial uncertainty, particularly when more than one family member is lost in the same pedestrian accident. Personal injury attorneys are sometimes able to provide victims’ families with advice on the litigation process should they wish to bring suit against negligent drivers.

Source: KTLA, “Mourners gather at Orange County churches for funerals honoring 3 teen girls killed on Halloween,” Ashley Soley-Cerro, Erin Myers and Steve Kuzj, Nov. 8, 2014

Source: ABC News, “1 Arrested in Halloween Hit-and-Run Deaths”, My Taxin and Gillian Flaccus, November 03, 2014