90-Year-Old Pedestrian Dies From Vehicular Accident Injuries

Mrs. Wilton was my counselor at La Colina Jr. High in the 1970s, and I knew her recently as a volunteer at my place of employment. She had lots of energy and was involved in a lot of different activities. May she rest in peace.

This is so sad. Irene may have been 90, but she had a lot of energy and she was in good physical condition. My thoughts go out to her family, and to the woman who accidently hit her.

Nightship writes: "Mrs. Wilton was my counselor at La Colina Jr. High in the 1970s"
Mine too. She was a nice lady who was involved with the lives of her students.

Irene deserved to live another 10+ years. We all adored her and admired her. How many lives must be lost before our city, county and caltrans officials provide appropriate safety for us all at this intersection??? Luke died there three years ago. I feel that officials should be charged with wrongful death for Irene's tragedy. Please sign the petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/SafeCro... to help us get the stoplight installed immediately.

My heart goes out to the family members on both sides.

This is the only article I've read about this accident, so apologies if I've missed some info. I wonder if a street light would have prevented this tragic accident? Are the facts out on the cause yet? Was the driver headed due east, west, north or south? Going straight or turning? Which street was Mrs. Wilton crossing? At what time was this? Was the sun or other considerations a factor? Was the driver perhaps negligent?

I'm not saying a street light is or isn't warranted. If the cause was determined to be, for example, that the driver was speeding and there were no other factors, that would be an easier case to make. But if the driver wasn't paying attention or was under medication, that would be a harder case to make as a street light may not have made a difference.

I'm willing to listen and am certainly sympathetic, but let's establish the merits of this case. If they are there, then perhaps some progress can be made. I hope I'm not sounding callous because that isn't my intent.

County, City and CalTrans officials have been on notice for years that this is a very dangerous intersection that needs traffic control. Ever since Luke Grant's tragic and preventable death in 2005, those who must use this intersection stepped up their efforts to have these three entities act. They said it was too expensive. They said no one had jurisdiction. They said there wasn't enough traffic. They said there weren't enough accidents to warrant any changes. They said they couldn't regulate the speed of traffic because it would be a "speed trap." They didn't care we all knew and know it is a "death trap."

Now, they say it will cost $350,000 and take another three months to get started. How much money and grief has the failure of our officials cost the victims and their families? How much fear must those who regularly use this intersection endure? How much money have officials wasted on needless studies in other areas? How much did it cost to put in (and then take out) those mammoth speed bumps and the ineffective solar speed monitors on Ontare Road?

With the very tragic and preventable death of Mrs. Wilton, these entities are once again put on notice. If another person even gets a scratch at this intersection this summer, we hope all three entities are sued for millions, department heads lose their jobs, and voters take revenge at the next election.