The circumstances of last night’s awful fatal collision at Valencia Blvd in front of Islands Restaurant are becoming more clear. Killed was 43 year old mother Matilda Garnica, according to ABC 7 which has a good report:
ABC 7 says the victim that was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from the COC parking lot is 12 years old and is in critical condition. A total of six children were injured according to ABC.
It’s not clear which of the two cars above -a Dodge SUV or Inifiniti sedan- was at fault and which one hit the crowd of pedestrians on the sidewalk. It’s remarkable that the driver who ran the red light was not detained (according to the ABC 7 report).
UPDATE: Tim Myers posted a link to an SCVTV.com story that says the 21 year old female driver of the white Infiniti sedan ran the red light, crashed into the SUV, and then hit the crowd of pedestrians. Leon Worden says the Infiniti driver was driving east bound on Valencia at the time of the collision.
Several commenters at the Signal’s site confirm the heroic efforts of other fireworks watchers to move the car off the victims:
Some outlets are saying the collision occurred at 9:47 pm, which would have been towards the end of the fireworks show. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Twitter feed first reported the incident at 9:54 pm.
I was watching the fireworks from the opposite side of Town Center, along Creekside. The center of Valencia was packed like I had never seen it before; people were camped out everywhere: sidewalks, grassy medians, parking lots, paseos, many of them just feet from the street. Shortly after the show, I heard multiple emergency sirens, and then two helicopters observed the scene above Town Center for at least a half hour.
The City had closed off McBean north of Valencia Blvd, but all lanes on Valencia Blvd itself were open to traffic at around 9:00 pm when we drove through there. There were scores of people sitting in front of Islands Restaurant and the shops in the Kohl’s shopping center.
All night, I observed impatient drivers on the roads; at the corner of McBean & Valencia a couple walking with the light in the crosswalk were nearly hit by an impatient or careless driver. I saw no traffic enforcement officers at intersections.
Some of the commenters at the Signal’s site are already blaming the City for not closing down Valencia Blvd. I don’t think we know enough to lay blame (beyond the obvious red-light runner) but I hope this incident raises awareness that pedestrian and spectator safety should trump parking convenience and traffic at events like this.
I mourn for that woman’s family too. I hope the 12 year old boy recovers and pulls through. What a tragic end to an otherwise wonderful day.
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Excellent work, Jeff. Was the Channel 7 report part of their news this morning? Their lead story last night (7-4) at 11:00 pm was the fireworks show at the Rose Bowl and the seizure of illegal fireworks that people brought to the Rose Bowl parking lot.
Also, a call to other witnesses at the Valencia Town Centre. Were there rogue fireworks displays going on around the area? As stated in the previous post, a pretty elaborate rogue display was going on to the east of the Bridgeport Marketplace before, during and after the City display.
Thank Jeff! Just a horrific story.
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The Signal’s reporting on this story is horrific. It does not even come up under the first five featured posts. Is there no journalistic pride on Creekside? If you really want the news-The Signal is the last place to go.
And SCVtalk may have been the first to report. Thanks Jeff and Tim.
As soon as my wife and I heard about it on the radio, we came here immediately and got all the information we needed. The Signal is worthless when it comes to reporting anything of this significance in SCV.
More on the timeline:
The accident happened at or near 9:35pm, approximately five minutes before the end of the fireworks show and before the finale. I was between Starbucks and Corner Bakery and observed many in the crowd near my location and across the street standing and looking and pointing towards the accident location while the fireworks were in progress, which was curious to me. I did not see the accident location directly from my vantage point.
I was aware of the time in that I was interested in whether the display would be just 20 minutes as advertised.
Fear the timeline is only going to get more bizarre and convoluted as the investigation continues.
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I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that wife/mom and how her family has been altered forever. My thoughts are with her husband and children.
I may be alone in this but I also think we need to pray/send good thoughts to the 21 year old who ran the red light. How many of us made stupid mistakes driving at that age? While I am not saying she’s not at fault, she’s practically a kid and will forever live with the pain that she caused, maybe by just not paying enough attention.
Many, many people (even those families who saw it happen) were affected last night. They’re all in my thoughts.
the best post i’ve seen
I’m sure the Signal will have full and in-depth coverage soon.
I’m wondering if the City’s traffic camera system recorded the crash. There are no red light cameras at that intersection, but I think there are live traffic cameras in the immediate vicinity.
I’m sure the Signal will have full and in-depth coverage soon.
I am sure they will, but here in lies the value of a good blog like this one where folks can comment and update minute by minute.
Under the first post you guys put up immediately after the accident, some folks were chiding you all for not having all the “details” right along with offering personal speculations that went beyond the boundaries of reporting. First, I didn’t come here looking for exact details, just the important information that tells me what happened. Additionally, mistakes in reporting get corrected fairly quick by responsible bloggers which everyone here aspires to be when reporting stuff like what happened. (Personal political opinions aside). Plus, just because the Signal has a full report doesn’t necessarily mean they are correct either. They can be prone to error as well.
What is clear is if the Signal wishes to be viewed as a reliable source of information, they need to be prepared to post information real time on-line and not hand wring over whether traditional “journalistic” style is being compromised or met or edited properly. They will continue to be scooped by amateur bloggers all the time.
I am just heartsick to read of this awful tragedy. I feel terrible for the husband, children and bystanders who witnessed it all. And I pity the driver who ran the red light. She will live with incredible guilt for the rest of her life.
I don’t blame the city for not closing Valencia Blvd. Accidents such as this have been known to occur on city streets in broad daylight when there are no fireworks. Being in close proximity to swiftly moving traffic is not without risk, whether on a bus bench or at a sidewalk cafe. One mistake behind the wheel of a vehicle can cost many people their lives. And it happens with great regularity.
We were very fortunate this year to be led to a parking lot up at COC from which vantage point we were able to view both the Stevenson Ranch and Valencia Town Center fireworks displays, along with numerous elaborate and illegal private displays. There were very few people up there and no horrendous traffic jams to deal with afterward.
U don’t blame the City for not closing the street? Are u kidding me? Ur rationale that accidents happen all the time…is seriously flawed. If u don’t advocate closing a street when countless families are flush to the curb on both sides during a fireworks show,perhaps u would support holding the thing on the 5 fwy! Even the best drivers might glimpse away to look at an explosion of fireworks. They didn’t even attempt to reduce the speed. There were more children there than multiple elementary schools combined.
The city and/or the sheriff’s department could have made a more proactive effort at “calming traffic” but you cannot state with any certainty that that would have prevented this tragedy or some other equally horrible accident. You do not have all the facts yet — none of us do.
John Rothman noted below that he told his sister not to sit on the curb next to the traffic, but insisted everyone move back. This would seem to me to be common sense. I would not have allowed my child to sit in such a spot. Would you? We all must bear some responsibility for our decisions and not always seek to blame someone else when we are hurt or injured.
That said, I think better traffic control efforts would be an excellent idea and would hope to see the city and sheriff’s department work together in that regard in the future.
It has been suggested elsewhere that closure of these streets would negatively impact emergency access to the hospital, so perhaps rather than closing the streets to traffic, they might close the sidewalks to viewing.
Agree. Bottom line is drivers need to always be cautious of pedestrians and pay attention where they’re driving.
I totally agree with you John. There were so many people out that night, more children than I have ever seen. I believe the city should be heald responsible for not closing the street. On a day without an event the street is busy. Why on earth would they not close the street they did it for Lyons avenue. I feel so bad for both families. That teenager has to live with that for the rest of her life. There was a lot of destration that night, even for the best of drivers.
Good reporting job, Jeff. I would hope that this tragedy alerts the City to block, or at least partially block adjacent streets so that this terrible situation is not repeated. Such a wonderful and well attended event and it ends with a loss of life – I say taking action to improve public safety is well worth any minor incoveniences to others…
Lane closures in the number one lanes adjacent to heavy pedestrian/spectator areas, no left turns into mall parking lots, a sheriff at each flashing light intersection, and ‘special event – reduce speed’ signs would have helped. My hindsight is great, of course.
A tragedy for all involved.
While it’s hindsight, it’s also common sense that if used would have made it’s way into simple foresight. Yes the driver is to blame, but this is also public service at it’s worst.
It was my first time there with my wife, young son and daughter at the corner of Valencia and McBean. I told my wife to back up until they close the street. Was astounded when it didn’t occur. This is a horrible example validation. My prayers are with that poor family. And, yes, I’m angry at those involved (city govt and LASD) for such ignorance.
Prior to the accident, I had given a ‘what if” thought to the safety of the people at and near the curb in front of me as traffic whizzed by in all three eastbound lanes of Valencia Blvd. I have to agree that the City and the LASD share some level of responsibility. This was a public event, broadcast over KHITS with personal messages of welcome by the Mayor and each City Councilmember. Public safety and traffic control around public events is a legitimate governmental responsibility. As the number one sponsor of the event, of course the City has responsibility despite the protestations of some on this blog.
Did anyone there notice the Sheriff deputies (about 10 of them) all arrived at exactly the same time (5 minutes after the crash) and all came from the same direction? That’s because they were all hanging out at their station watching the fireworks together. Why didn’t they have at least one deputy standing out of their car with the emergency lights on at each of the major affected intersections as a visual deterrent during the show? People slow down, stop for red lights and they don’t dart across the busy street like so many did before, during and after the event. With thousands of people lining the busy valencia streets where people drive 60-70 mph (also because the sheriff’s dept. aren’t out there enforcing traffic laws) you need to have at least one deputy assigned to each intersection to prevent this type of thing! Poor family! My heart goes out to them!
I completely agree with your observations.
There should have been much more attention given to traffic calming tactics at effected intersections and streets. Accidents are not entirely preventable, however if event organizers, Sheriffs and the City officials would have prepared a special event traffic management plan to better deal with the problems of mixing thousands of spectators and and high speed intersections this tragic accident may have been avoided.
This post has many thoughts on last nights accident:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/30688/
Absolutely correct on all levels. LASD did have some teenage explorers direct traffic, but even that was after the fact. The overall handling by LASD was UNSAT.
The Signal is a lame excuse for a newspaper. Thank you SCVTALK.
So much hate for the signal. So sad. Oh Well. Can’t please everyone.
Thank you for providing updates, Jeff. What a terrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go to the victims’ families, as well to those who witnessed the accident.
So sad. Frankly, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often out here, given how some of the idiots in this town drive.
Yeah, seeing a lot of hate on the Signal. For a paper with a small staff (not to mention on a holiday, late in the evening) it seems they did what they could.
Witnessing this accident last night was incredibly jarring and will stay with me forever.
Those there last night share in this tragedy. My heart goes out to the family most immediately effected as it is surly a difficult life changing moment for them all. My heart also goes out to the driver at fault and any other guilty parties as it is no responsibility or fault I could ever imagine bearing.
It is sad to hear so many people not looking to the City of Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita Sheriffs, nor the Event organizers for greater responsibility, presence and insistence on providing adequate special event traffic management. Although they may not be at fault, there is a great deal of precedence in other cities on how to properly address traffic control and calming at large events (both in and around affected areas). It is my personal opinion that the City Santa Clarita was negligent in its responsibilities to its citizens falling short of providing what was necessary to protect individuals from foreseeable risk of harm. Thousands of EXPECTED spectators and pedestrians along side a 6-8 lane Boulevard with no accommodating traffic management and a huge distraction (fireworks) is clearly unsafe and posses foreseeable risk of harm.
As far as the City’s liability, when it’s a city sponsored event (whether joint sponsored with Newhall Land, Westfield Mall, and/or others), the risk management must plan for every “worst case scenario.” Clearly the worst case scenario of any car careening into people sitting 12 inches from the curb for ANY reason (drunk, careless, distracted, heart attack, etc.), NEVER crossed the city’s mind, hence the lack of safety PRE-cautions taken on behalf of the citizens’ safety and well-being.
My hubby and I worked for the City’s Aquatics Dept. for years and the entire focus was PREVENTATIVE concern and care. You don’t wait until the emergency happens, you predict it happening and safeguard as much as you can against it. Something the City forget when inviting 20,000 people to attend their event.
As an eyewitness sitting on Islands’ front porch with my two children and hubby, who had to help remove the car and stare into the faces of the injured, the lack of FORETHOUGHT and PLANNING resulted in a tragedy uncalled for. We remain in total and complete shock at what we witnessed and are praying ceaselessly for those directly affected.
… and thank you scvtalk for the prompt coverage and forum for discussion.
I never saw one deputy prior to or during the show. My sister wanted to sit at the curb on Valencia east of the intersection where this happened and I told her it was too dangerous so we all moved back to the back edge of the sidewalk. We commented several times about how fast traffic was passing just a few feet from families so hindsight has nothing to do with my comments. someone needs to hold the captain at Santa Clarita Sheriff station accountable for not deploying his deputies BEFORE this foreseeable accident happened. An operations plan was needed to manage this! The driver who ran the red may feel terrible but she still ness to be charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Completely agree.
To those of you who continue to hold the City harmless in this tragedy. ponder this one fact and one question.
Fact: There is no one to run the red light had the street been closed.
Question: In addition to her inattentiveness, what could have contributed to this young lady’s inattention? (umm, lots of people lined up along the curb, fireworks, ummm).
Now, do you think the City could have prevented this one?
As was pointed out previously, if Valencia Blvd. is closed, it negatively impacts emergency access to the hospital. So then we have the city sued because someone couldn’t make it to the hospital in time.
As to the “distraction” of the fireworks, you do not know with certainty whether that was the case. She could have been on the phone with her boyfriend or tired after a long day at work and changing the station on the radio. It is all speculation at this point.
When a city closes streets it is usually meant that they are closed to the general public. Emergency vehicles and other essential vehicles are allowed.
I doubt that she was on the phone, the fireworks were right there at the corner. I am sure she was distracted by the crowds and the fireworks especially if it was around the time the witnesses said it happened. And as far as not blocking for a hospital the hospital is on a side street, easy to get too if need be. Bottom line, there were too many people and not enough officers or blockaids. My son and I were sitting in out car by creekside and when the fireworks were over we drove West towards Mc Bean. I mentioned to my son ” isn’t there anyone directing traffic” because there were people and cars everywhere. Poor planning! Hopefully next year the city has a better plan.
I take one serving of blame shift and a side of nanny state.
Why is it someone in this valley always must find someone to blame? How many years has this event taken place without incident? Now people want to shut down all the streets surrounding the mall?
one bullet in a 6 shot revolver and you could play five times without getting shot. Not sure about your “cause it didn’t happen in the past means there is no problem rationale.” Close the streets around the mall? Yep. They did a good job closing the McBean part, they just needed to go one step further. Simple prudence.
I am not sure about your “we must over react for one freak accident.” rationale. The problem in this valley is rude inconsiderate speeding drivers. I suppose we could just shut down all the roads and make everyone ride bikes or walk. Then no one will get hurt.
Not a freak accident. Rationale is in fact on point. This is a special event with thousands of spectators. Streets, traffic signals and speeds are not designed to accommodate temporary special events like this and so the City of Santa Clarita, the Sheriffs Dept., and event organizers should take some responsibility for bringing the effected areas up to a reasonable level of safety. It is not a frivolous request or expectation as some have suggested.
I am not suggesting that the City take full blame for the incident nor am I suggesting the driver to be removed from responsibility.
Couldn’t agree more, Damageinc.
If people want to sit on the sidewalk to watch a fireworks show and want to accept the risk of doing this, then go for it! If you lack the God-given common sense to preceive a possible increase to your personal safety by putting yourself in this situation, then by all means, blame the City or the Sheriff’s or the mall owners or signers of the Declaration of Independence for starting all of this firework non-sense in the first place.
Hmmm. Perhaps we CAN close down the sidewalks next year. Wait! We need to determine if the closure will involve just the standard width of the 5 foot sidewalk or do we need to go an additional 3 feet because after all, cars spinning out of control on a public street that go up on a sidewalk my impact a wider area than a standard sidewalk. To make sure were doing this right (you know so we don’t actually get BLAMED for this and get SUED) lets commission a NTSB study on sidewalk safety. Awe heck, lets go with 11 feet 3 inches. OK, now let’s be prepared to arrest any law breaking scoundrel who refuses to disperse from said sidewalk because gosh, we need to have some teeth to this newly enacted ordinance.
WTF, don’t know if u have ever been on the planning end of a special event (doesn’t sound like it), but I assure you this was command level incompetence at its (worst). Unfortunately it significantly contributed to this fatal traffic collision. Closing that street should have been a basic objective of that ops plan.
Also, kinda wondering. Just where exactly do u think people were gonna sit? Let me help. Where they sat in the past, because laying out in the few crowded pkg lots doesnt really work and would definitely lead to injury. U make it sound like they held the thing in a park (park, now that’s a concept) or something.
Common sense… Valencia is full of tennagers and young children. That was a recipe for disaster.
It seems to me you used common sense when you moved back from the curb so as to distance yourself from traffic. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone were to take responsibility for their decisions rather than seeking protection from the government from their own lack of common sense? Do you really need a deputy to tell you that it is unsafe to allow your children to sit on the curb next to traffic moving at 50 mph?
Bravo ReaderMama, bravo !!!
Reader mama, it now appears your blaming the poor lady for getting killed and her children getting injured for watching a community event. Unfortunately, for her, I guess she didn’t have as much common sense as you. After all, according your thought process, why do anything when you could get hit by an asteroid. What part of… if the street was closed, there would be nobody running the light don’t you get?
I am not seeking to “blame” anyone. I am saying that there is risk in most everything we do. If you make the decision to sit on a curb a couple of feet from traffic zooming by, then you are taking a risk. I would not have taken that particular risk, but I have taken other risks which, fortunately for me, did not end fatally. You can slip and fall in the tub or choke on a sandwich.
As to your contention that if the road had been closed, no one would have run a red light, you may be correct. You also might be correct in stating that if no one had been on the sidewalk there would have been no injury. On the other hand, I recall the incident in Santa Monica back in 2006 wherein an 86
year-old man plowed through the road closure signs at a farmer’s market event and killed 10 people in 10 seconds in broad daylight. Tragic accidents occur.
And that is the reason to put up blockaids.
Agree… she ran a red light and caused the accident. Even if that street was closed I’m not s0 sure that she wouldn’t ran a red light somewhere else and cause a different accident.
This is an unfortunate tragedy.
I know the fireworks show has been going on for the past 15 years and there hasnt been an incident in the past. So Im assuming as they have done in past years is never close Valencia Blvd. I’m sure this will cause officials to review that policy. I’m sure City officials have a special event plan, why would McBean Parkway be closed every year?
My guess is that the City wants to keep as many streets as open as possible while using the least amount of deputies and keeping costs to a minimum.
Alot of places charges for fireworks show. Maybe the City should start charging fees for viewing. That would allow them to use more deputies and have more street crews. But then you would have issues with people avoiding fees and going around the mall to camp out.
Or if the City wants to keep street closures to a minimum, then maybe they need to ban people from sitting at sidewalks along streets such as Valencia that will remain open and designate streets such as McBean or Citrus that will be closed for pedestrians to sit on the sidewalk. Or the City could cancel the show all together.
I’m sure something will change next year. And I’m sure there will be outrage from some group whether it be people complaining that more streets are closed, charging for fees, or cancelling the show altogether.
John, you are the typical American. Come up with senseless “solutions” anytime something goes wrong. Even better, you’re already placing the blame on the city (you must be a wrongful death attorney). Nobody is responsible for their actions in this country anymore, always looking to point the finger to the deep pockets. People like you sue the school district when your kid gets beat up, then turns around and complains that the classrooms are overcrowded and there aren’t enough books. The street should’ve been closed and it’s the city’s fault, what garbage. You are clearly somebody who reacts purely off of emotion and has no real knowledge of the “solution” you suggest. How many studies have you done on street closures, traffic patterns and crowd control? Exactly what I thought; none, none and none.
Of course it’s horrible what happened last night, but nothing is as simple as you present it to be. Some times horrible accidents are just that, accidents. The blame in this case goes no further than the driver who caused the accident. Funny, I was driving home last night on the 405 and fireworks were going on all around me, my daughter asked if they are distracting and I told her no. I’m aware what day it is and I know there will be fireworks all over the place. Responsible drivers keep their attention to the road, and when they don’t … it’s THEIR fault, not the city’s.
And how long have you been driving? I gather since you were sixteen therefore you would not be distracted. But a teenager, totaly distration. If you don’t Close the streets put up blockaids. Why wait for a death to accure. Look beyond the norm. there were too many people out for there not to be
blockaids.
Justice needs to be made here. It does not matter if the person was intoxicated or not. This person was supposed to be driving not looking up at the sky and being distracted. As a family friend of the family who is dealing with this tragic accident and feels the pain of what they are going through. It is not just to hear that the responsible could get away with no charges of any sort.
Please pray for her 13 year old son who is still struggling for his life.
Thank you.
I also hope the Santa Clarita Valley makes sure this never happens again because obviously there was no safety regulations for this event. It is sad and a shame that this had to happen to let the SCV know that the event was not as safe as everyone thought.
If the streets aren’t closed altogether, it seems that the speed limit should be temporarily changed to 20mph for the event. If the woman had not been traveling fast, her car most likely would not have spun into the people on the sidewalk.
Was there not plenty of parking in the mall parking lot? Why would anyone take their kids and sit on the side of a 40+mph road where drivers could be easily distracted by overhead fireworks?
I saw a comment from someone on the signal website that he was waiting for someone to close the road. OK at what point after they did not close the road did you or did you not decide to move your famly out of harms way?
Don’t blame the city for an accident!
“Don’t blame the city for an accident!” Co-Sign
I was standing in the mall parking lot across the street from islands. I drove and walked around the lot. There was not plenty of parking, especially with people taking up multiple stalls for one vehicle (another traffic management problem).
Unfortunately occupying the sidewalk, a public right of way for pedestrians, is considered by some as being in harms way.
If you have ever gone to shows (be they firework or other events) in the City of Los Angeles or elsewhere, there is a clear attempt made by city agencies to exert some degree of control and protection over the general public through various methods; traffic calming and control is always one of these methods. Every 4th of July the Valencia Mall, surrounding streets and adjacent parking lots become a temporary venue/event space and should be treated as such. While not fully at fault for last night’s tragedy, it is clear that the City of Santa Clarita failed to adequately prepare for such an event and enact necessary measures to provide citizens with a safe and pedestrian friendly environment.
My heart goes out to those involved in this terrible incident and hope that the City of Santa Clarita, the Sheriffs Dept., Event Sponsors and community members respond appropriately and compassionately so as to better serve our City.
I second that Chris!
Does anyone know about a trust fund or some way we can all help the family? Let’s focus on something we can change in a positive way in addition to holding our elected officials and the bad driver accountable.
There is plenty of blame to go around; blame for the city, the driver, and the lack of adult supervision .
Almost 24 hours since the crash and still no disclosure of the 21 year old driver’s name. KHTS reports that the driver was not CITED or DETAINED which could (and I emphasize could) mean that no usable evidence with respect to toxicology was gathered. This delay by the Sheriff’s department in not reporting this information is not good for transparency and makes people wonder why it is so top secret.
Just saw a news report http://cbs2.com/local/Valencia.Town.Center.2.1788154.html
where the eyewitness stated it was the SUV that ran the light (while turning left) not the girl in the white car (see video on right side of website). The facts obviously are still being gathered which is probably why neither party’s name has been published. Every person’s life involved in this accident (as well as those of us that saw it) are changed forever. As soon as they release this person’s information they are subject to people’s potential backlash, backlash that at this point may be based on incorrect information. You can already see how much speculation has gone on just on this site alone. Be patient and let the investigators do there job; the accident didn’t even happen 24hrs ago. My thoughts are with all of those so tragically affected by this terrible accident.
I hope you are right, but we have had too many high profile fatal accident cases in the SCV where the relatives of law enforcement personnel were either witnesses or perpetrators, and the LASD was VERY slow to release information. This is not a secret and I would state there would be LESS backlash if information was released earlier rather than later.
Keep to yourself on this. If you have an ounce of respect for others you will wait for an accurate outcome to the investigation. The driver is my friend and i have heard her story and i have read the posts here. Thank you to those of you who are praying for her. It has not been easy on her. There’s always two sides to a story and she deserves her peace for time being. Be a good citizen an keep to yourself. If this were your daughter every single post you were to read here would anger you.
The driver is in my prayers and so is the family of the Mom that was killed.
You don’t need to be drunk to get charged with vehicular Manslaughter! Running a red ank killing someone is enough.
True, but it is obviously a more serious crime with enhancements if the driver is intoxicated, and can even be elevated to murder.
I don’t normally engage in this posting stuff, but have found it interesting. I appreciate Chris V’s insight, plus his obvious background and knowledge. It’s just that I felt so strongly about Valencia Blvd last night having been there with my family, I was actually looking for a deputy to complain. There were none around. I look back and feel that I should have made a few phone calls but didn’t. Then, when the tragedy that I was so concerned about actually came to fruition, it engaged me. It also has something to do with everyone all there with their families sharing community and purpose that makes one feel especially regretful.
I appreciate the ability to post and am confident that the City will do the right thing next year. May God bless the victims and their families.
We were in the mall parking lot, right across from where the accident took place. Before the fireworks even started, we were looking around for law enforcement or traffic patrol, because there was clearly none present and there were many people who, shall we say, could have used some direction. There should have been more parking available in the mall parking lot, but there were groups who were taking up 2-3 spaces with lawn chairs, etc. I’ve been to fireworks events in other cities, most notably El Segundo, where there is a large law enforcement presence for purposes of crowd & traffic control. Unfortunately, we had no crowd control until after this tragic accident had occurred.
John Rothman I appreciate your comments, too.
For all those commenting on the inconsiderate bad drivers that speed and run red lights, when’s the last time you saw a deputy sheriff shooting radar on Valencia Bl. or McBean? The key to effective traffic enforcement isn’t just the individual tickets being issued, it’s the hundreds of people who slow down after they drive by and see someone else getting the ticket. Enforcement of traffic laws is almost non-existent in most areas of this valley and it scares me to have my wife and kids driving around town here. Can we get the CHP to do traffic enforcement in the rest of the valley and not just Stevenson Ranch? I heard they were out of their cars directing traffic in Stevenson Ranch after the fireworks display there. Let LASD focus on the “real crimes” if they feel they’re above directing traffic or writing tickets.
The city does have some responsibility in protecting us during these big events. I was at the parade in Newhall that morning and there were plenty of sheriffs patrolling the area. Does the city not want to spend more money having to hire more law enforcement? I dont get it.
Something else that was quite disturbing to me last night was the illegal fireworks taking place at Bridgeport Park? Anyone else witness this? Someone said it was a bunch of teenagers letting them off. But whoever they were, were setting off some crazy fireworks. Im talking a big firework show. Whoever they were, were right there in plain sight on the baseball field just setting them off. Where was law enforcement for this? This was going on way before the accident even occured on Valencia Blvd. I was a little frightened watching how close these illegal fireworks were. They went on for atleast a good 20 minutes. I thought for sure, any minute, the cops would come and stop it, but nothing. Just very interesting to me.
Anyways, didnt want to step away from the real story here. Sorry bout that. My heart goes out to all involved in this horrific accident. Especially the poor mother who is just enjoying a good time with her family and not knowing what was about to happen. God bless her and the family I am really praying for them. I do feel bad for the young women who made a horrible choice in running a red light. It could have happened to anyone. Unfortunately, I see people in SCV driving like they are always in such a hurry. Running red lights, and cutting people off, regardless of their age. Its just a sad, sad story. I hope that young boy makes it. Thanks to all those heroic people that didnt even think twice about running to help get that car off those injured. Thats really what this community is all about
God Bless.
I currently live in LA between Santa Monica and Culver city. You would not believe the amount of fireworks being set off in the streets around where i live. I went out to the store about 10:30 (forgot I was out of ice cream and had a craving) I had to stop and 180 and take different streets more than once because there were so many roman candle type fireworks in the streets (going on for hours and hours). Many car alarms going for half the night.
The police get spread way too thin on holidays. Santa Clarita needs to get it’s own sheriff’s dept one of these days.
One would be remiss in not pointing out that McBean/Valencia is the exact corner where various political factions engage in political protest in an effort to get the attention of passing drivers. Will the city and owners of the property attempt to restrict future access to this area as a result of this incident?
To those who witnessed the accident, I will be near the intersection as many evenings as I can, with my cross. I served as a deputy sheriff here, in Santa Clarita for 20 years, and I also served for 8 years as a department chaplain. If anyone would like to talk, I will be easy to find, or you can reach me through my website.
Here to serve.
Thank you for your efforts Brother Miano. You are truly doing God’s work.
First of all, I would like to send out heartfelt condolences to all the families directly involved in this horrific accident. Especially to all the children, who will forever be altered by this one moment in their life.
That being said, I would like to offer some thoughts regarding who is or isn’t to blame. I personally think that this cannot be blamed on just one individual. My husband and I drove down Valencia Blvd. that night. In fact, we were the very next car after the white Infiniti. When we first started down the Blvd. after viewing the fireworks in Stevenson Ranch, we noticed how many people were lined up all along the sidewalk and on the median. We both questioned the safety of this and wondered why the roads hadn’t been shut down, or at least a lane closed. However, we also questioned, why anyone would knowingly stay in harms way. When we got closer to the corner of McBean and realized the fireworks were being set off practically right there, we again wondered why the roads were open. The fireworks were a major distractor while driving. Another distraction were the sheer mass of people everywhere. No one was paying attention to traffic signals. I saw dozens of people walk right into the middle of traffic with no regard for traffic lights. While obviously the driver needs to pay attention to the lights, people need to also be held responsible for their actions and take some accountability for themselves. When we happened upon the scene of the accident, probably 10-15 seconds after it had occured, we were completely confused. The light was red, so we were stopped. There were probably close to a hundred people swarming all around. People were screaming from across the mall entrance. There was no police on hand at this point. I saw tons of teenagers, all with their camera/video phones recording the accident. I mentioned to my husband that it looked like the car was on top of the crowd. We wondered what we should do, were we should turn, or should we just stay put as there was no cop in sight to direct us. I made several comments regarding the people who were using their cameras to record such a horrible event. I really hope these people have turned in any video they have to the authorities and are not just keeping it for their own sick enjoyment. Why anyone would want to video tape a young mother dying and her children possibly as well is beyond me and I am so glad that I am not these young kids parents. In any event, my husband made the decision to turn left into the mall lot and then try to U-Turn from there. At this time, probably a good 2-3 minutes later, one cop finally showed up at the scene. We were able to make the turn into the mall and U-Turn fairly quickly so that we could still see what was happening. One car decided to squeeze through the accident scene to continue on Valencia Blvd. We were appalled that someone would be in such a rush, have such little regard for human life as to just squeeze through like that and continue on their way. We were about the 3rd or 4th car at the mall entrance now and it took probably another 3-4 minutes before we finally saw the parade of law enforcement arrive. They came one right after another, cops, firemen, ambulance. Finally, they had one cop directing people where to go.
That being said, I would like to just say that I hope the community can at least try to stop pointing so many fingers. Not just one person is to blame in this instance. Unfortunately, I find this to be the end result of a lot of bad decisions. Bad decisions on the part of the city to not close the street or at the very minimum, cut back the lanes that were open and put more traffic control out there. Bad decisions on the part of the drivers involved who clearly were either distracted, confused or just not paying attention. Bad decisions on the part of every individual who knowingly sat on an open street with children. As a mother myself, I can tell you that I would never sit on a busy street such as Valencia Blvd. knowing that cars were still permitted to travel on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not blaming the mother-she could not have known this would happen or I know she would not have sat where she did. I’m just saying that people need to have a little more accountability for their actions and not rush to conclusions. The scene was so chaotic, I don’t think law enforcement even know exactly what happened yet and if you ask 25 people who were there, I bet you’ll get 25 different accounts. Instead of all this pointing fingers, we as a community, should be working together to set up a fund for these poor children who lost the only mother they will ever have and for the family who may need this money to help pay for the medical bills that will begin to pile up.
Remember when Valencia Blvd/Mcbean was (breifly) closed for the AMGEN Tour of California and someone had a heart attack? Remember how the emergency crews had a hard time reaching him because of the closure? Remember how much flak the City got for that closure and the safety concerns everyone had?
Remember that?
Oops, “briefly”. Wouldn’t want anyone to jump on my typo…
Amen to that! If a collision is caused by your negligence, you are responsible for the results. If it results in someone’s death, vehicular manslaughter is the appropriate charge based on California law. You don’t just get to continue on with your life simply feeling bad for it. The person feeling bad is nice and it’s a sign of a decent human being but it is irrelevant when it comes to charges being filed. It only comes into play during sentencing AFTER a conviction and even then, it should only play a minor role.
Yes the the street should have been closed, Yes the people should have not been allowed that close to the street but if you think about it at the time the accident happened only 1 decision made caused this whole thing. The driver decided to run a red light.
All I’m saying is WHOEVER ran the red light is guilty of manslaughter. There is no doubt ONE of the two cara ran the light. I was 100 feet to the east so all I saw was the horrific aftermath. I guess you already know it was her Sunny.
Sunny…this is SCV Talk. It’s a blog and the purpose of a blog is for people to respectfully post their opinions. You may be her friend but most of the people commenting were people who were there and we all have every right to respectfully express our thoughts and opinions. Doing so does not make us bad citizens but that’S YOUR opinion and I respect that. If you, her, or anybody else does not whsh to read other people’s opinions on the matter, don’t go out of your way to seak out and log on to a blog where people are exercising their first amendment right to state said opinions. Nobody I’ve read has used disrespectful language or personal insults. Personally, if I commit the CRIME of running a red light and I take out a mother and 4 of her kids, what people say on some blog would be the least of my concerns but that’s just me.
I understand all the frustration and sadness everyone who witnessed the accident and for those who have heard numerous rumors who weren’t there. However blaming our first responders is the last thing to be complaining about. The sheriff’s department did an awesome job with their quick containment of hundreds of people at the scene. It did not take forever for them to roll code 3 (lights and sirens) to this scene. Ill admit the fire department could have hustled faster on foot instead of walking as if there was someone with a scrape knee but regardless they did their job and help all of us when we need them. I have no sympathy to neither driver. They were irresponsible and in a hurry just like many other drivers out here . It just comes to this…a loving mother has lost her life due to young drivers being in a rush and not paying attention. All the arguing on people’s comments will not change the situation or bring the mother back to life. Be grateful for your life and that it wasn’t you. Let it be a lesson to drive slowly and cautiously wherever you may be. I hope Santa clarita never has this event again. It takes only one idiot to do this again…regardless of deputies patrolling intersections. There are other priority Calls they must respond to during these events. Especially when the county isn’t providing overtime for more personnel during this recession.
I have to agree with you that placing blame on the first responders (Deputies, Fire Department, etc..) is not going to make the Garnica-Juarez feel any better after losing their wife/mother to this horrendous tragedy. My sincere condolences go out to Matilde Garnica Juarez family and may God sustain them all at this horrific time. I was not personally there at the firework show but the thought of 20,000+ people scurring around the mall area makes my
skin crawl. It is for that reason I do not attend the show anymore. I do want to comment that the City Council cannot ignore and sweep this tragedy (not accident) under the rug. I hope this is a wakeup call to all that the SCV is bursting at the seams with the population exploding continues to grow at an alarming rate!! The Sheriff Deputies and first responders are not equipped with enough personnel to cover the SCV area. If this is an indication on how we respond to an emergency such as the one that killed Mrs. Garnica-Juarez on the 4th, how will the city respond when a real catastrophic hits our home town be it an earthquake or terrorist attack. There is no way out of here with all the thousands and thousands of people living here and more coming at the invitation of the city of SCV (advertising on radio/tv.) Regardless of new improvements on roads we still have a giant problem with car congestion, rude people and idiots who run around without respect toward others and not obeying the rules which apparently are set for others and not for themselves. I commend the Deputies here in SCV who do a tremendous job trying to keep our community safe but all they ever get is disrespect and grief from the population UNTIL they personally need a help. I hope the city discontinues the fireworks at the mall unless they can assure that everyone will be safe by closing all streets involved but of course you’ll have complaints about that too. This all seems like a no win situation!!
Not blaming individual deputies who I will say did do a good job once they got there. There is a pecking order. The point is, you CAN’T have thousands of people (tons of kids) lining major streets and intersections where the speed limit is 50 mph and people historically drive 60-70 and NOT have a single law enforcement officer present. My original point was all the deputies arrived from eastbound Valencia Bl. about 5 minutes after the crash. Do the math. They have a friends and family event at their station where they can come and sit on the roof of the sheriff’s office. Assuming the deputies assigned to work the shift that night were not actually up on the roof but watching from their parking lot, the time it would take to get the call, get in their cars and drive to the scene from their station 1 block away is just about 5 min. If even one arrived from the direction of McBean and Valencia, I’d consider they may have been out patrolling or responding to other calls but they ALL arrived at the same time from the same direction. Ive been assigned by my superiors to stand post at much lesser events than this. Nobody needed overtime from the county. That’s what the LASD commander is supposed to demand from the event organizers during the planning stages but because that wasn’t done, the ones who were on regular duty should have been assigned to those intersections unless there was a priority call. Good point about the fire department waltzing up there like there was a cat stuck in a tree. Nobody here is tring to bring that poor woman back. They will have the show next year and I for one want the city and the Sheriff Dept. to learn from what they did wrong this time so this type of predictable and preventable thing never happens again. In the city I work in, and in others I’ve been in, events like this don’t go on without the cops. You need us there to keep you safe in the first place. Not show up and do a good job with croud and traffic control around your dead body.
This was an example of very poor planning by our city. However, does this surprise anyone? I think the track record of both city government and our local sheriff’s dept speaks for itself. This town is too large to have such incompetency at the helm. It’s time for a good, hard look at what is really going on in the City of Santa Clarita. Has anyone ever had to ask for the services of the Sheriff’s Dept? I hope not. I have, and I have either been disappointed and/or angered by their lack of comittment and regard for the citizens of this community and their speed at covering up incidents that involve family members of “higher ups” in the community. As for doing something about it, I HAVE TRIED. I have written letter after letter, with either no response or a brush off.
As for the driver, I feel bad for her. However, if she ran a red light, she committed vehicular manslaughter, plain and simple. If that’s what she did, she needs to be charged. It will be interesting if this will be yet one more cover up within the sheriff’s dept.
I think the community of SCV needs to know the names of these violators who sometimes have been sited in the past with traffic violations and are habitual law breakers regardless of their ages. The Signal newspaper at one time printed the names and towns of these people who were arrested for DUIs, and other infractions of the law.
There will be a carwash at Wiley Canyon Elementary school in Valencia(near Lyons ave and Wiley) Saturday July 10th from 8am-3pm to benefit the family of the wife and mother of three who was killed. Please come get your car washed or help out by washing cars or dropping off old rags and please pass the word!
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From what I have heard, the driver of the dodge was making an unprotected turn and didn’t yield to the infinity who was going strait.
Valencia is absolutely full of HORRIBLE drivers. All those Moms out there driving giant SUV’s who shouldn’t even have a drivers license. No one pays attention or even cares to know what’s going on. SCV has the absolutely WORST drivers in So. Cal. I swear that town is full of tough guy idiots, clueless Moms and meth heads.
When then do authorities say in all of the published reports that it’s clear that the Infinity ran the red?
I don’t know about the meth heads but I agree on the others. The meth heads are mostly out in the Antelope Valley. What’s the answer to the crappy drivers? Why do you think people drive differently in SCV? It’s because they know the odds of getting pulled over are a million to one! The LASD needs to get it in gear with traffic enforcement or give it up to CHP. Our own PD would also be nice. I asked the question in a previous post, when is the last time someone saw a deputy shooting radar on Valencia or McBean and nobody answered because it doesn’t happen. When people know the laws aren’t enforced, the break them which leads to people dying. Will it be your family member next? The Sheriff could change things today if he wanted to. One snap of a finger from Baca or even the SCV Commander could have more expectations from each deputy assigned to traffic and more assigned to work traffic. The clueless mom who tailgated the s**t out of me for a half mile because I dared drive the 45 mph speed limit on McBean before she gunned it around me and shot down the road at 65+ in her Suburban yesterday needs to PAY!!!
This city needs its own police department.
When making an unprotected left turn the car traveling srtrait has the right of way.
That statement is absolutely correct…but it WAS a protected left turn so doesn’t apply here. At all.