Two Orange County women were crossing Adams Avenue about 40 feet from Pinecreek Drive when they were hit by a Ford F150 truck. The pickup truck was pulling out of the Adams Avenue parking area at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. The driver had waited for other pedestrians to cross in a nearby marked crosswalk, and then proceeded to make a right hand turn. He apparently did not see the two women attempting to cross the street and hit his brakes when he heard one of them scream. The 20-year-old driver, a student at OCC, was not able to stop in time to avoid hitting the pedestrians.
One pedestrian, Maria Teresa Cano, 43, suffered severe head trauma and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana where she was in critical condition. The other woman, Maria Orbilla Milton, 73, suffered only minor injuries. According to subsequent news reports, Cano’s condition is improving and Milton is recovering quickly.
Costa Mesa Police are investigating the accident but do not believe alcohol was a factor, and no citations were issued at the time of the accident. Adams Avenue was shut down for several hours while Police processed the accident scene.
Callahan & Blaine, California’s Premier Litigation Firm, is one of the leading firms in the state of California, and handles serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide. In fact, in the last 5 years alone we’ve obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements.
For example, Callahan & Blaine recently won a $7.25 million settlement in a similar case when a man was run over trying to board a city bus in Orange County, California. In that case, the driver did not see the man and seriously injured his left leg by driving over it as she pulled away from the curb. If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of an accident, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.