May 7, 2012--Los Angeles, CA--According to ABC News, a man already known to authorities on unrelated matters hit a mother and her son as they attempted to cross the street, then fled the scene when authorities arrived.

43-year-old Steve Smith was driving a Toyota Previa on Broadway near 41^st Street on Friday when he struck the victims, a 57-year-old woman and her five-year-old foster son.  The names of the victims have not been released.  Authorities state that the woman and her son were seriously injured, but were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and are expected to make a recovery.

Smith, a black male of about 5 feet 5 inches and 210 pounds, stopped when the accident happened, according to witnesses.  However, when police arrived, he escaped on foot from the scene of the pedestrian accident.  The Los Angeles Police Department urges anyone who knows Smith’s whereabouts to come forward with information.

My sincere wishes for a speedy recovery go out to the victim and her son. More

May 7, 2012--Los Angeles, CA--A man already known to authorities on unrelated matters hit a mother and her son as they attempted to cross the street, then fled the scene when authorities arrived.

According to ABC Local, 43-year-old Steve Smith was driving a Toyota Previa on Broadway near 41st Street on Friday when he struck the victims, a 57-year-old woman and her five-year-old foster son. The names of the victims have not been released. Authorities state that the woman and her son were seriously injured, but were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and are expected to make a recovery.

Smith, a black male of about 5 feet 5 inches and 210 pounds, stopped when the pedestrian accident in Los Angeles happened, according to witnesses. However, when police arrived, he escaped on foot from the scene of the accident. The Los Angeles Police Department urges anyone who knows Smith's whereabouts to come forward with information. More

A 47-year-old woman was critically injured in a San Francisco car accident, which officials say involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a Bay City News report, the injury collision occurred the evening of February 13, 2012 at the intersection of Mission and 13th streets. The woman was walking south on Mission before attempting to cross 13th Street. She was in the crosswalk on a green light when a white truck hit her. The driver who hit the woman as he was making a right turn onto eastbound 13th Street accelerated and drove away from the scene. He was later identified as 55-year-old Craig Sheppard and arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life threatening head injuries.

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Officials in Ventura County are still looking for a hit-and-run driver who left three girls seriously injured. According to a KEYT news report, the car accident in Ventura occurred the night of February 4, 2012 along Victoria Avenue in the Silverstrand portion of Oxnard. Officials say Joan Aronson was walking with her two daughters and another girl when the children were struck. The girls were walking in the bike path because the roadway did not have a sidewalk. Two of the victims, including a 9-year-old girl, sustained moderate injuries such as facial cuts and bruises. A 6-year-old girl named Brooke remains in critical condition with spinal, lung, and head injuries.

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Three girls ages 8 and 6, and 11, were injured in a Ventura car accident involving a hit-and-run driver, the night of February 4, 2012. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, the hit-and-run accident occurred near Santa Monica Drive and Victoria Avenue in Oxnard. Police say 50-year-old Joan Aronson was walking with her two daughter and one other girl when a car heading north jumped a curb and struck the three girls. Officials say all three girls suffered serious injuries and were transported to an area hospital for treatment. The driver did not stop after the collision, and continued in the same direction.

Officials are asking for the public’s help in tracking down the hit-and-run driver. The vehicle has been described as a newer silver or gray Japanese-make vehicle with tinted windows and a potentially damaged bumper. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is asked to call the Ventura office of the California Highway Patrol at 805-477-4100.

My heart goes out to the three girls injured in this terrible hit-and-run car accident. I wish them all the very best for a complete and speedy recovery. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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Franchesca Bredwick, 40, of Yucca Valley, was injured in a San Bernardino car accident involving a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in The Desert Trail, the hit-and-run accident occurred on Indian Trail east of Morongo Road in Twentynine Palms the afternoon of January 17, 2012. Officials say Valentin Gonzalez, 18, was driving a black 2005 Nissan Altima when a red mid-1990s Honda or Toyota type four-door sedan veered into his lane of traffic. Gonzalez swerved to the right and his vehicle overturned on the dirt shoulder. Bredwick suffered a broken wrist in the crash. The driver and his 2-year-old sister were not injured. Officials are asking for help to find the hit-and-run driver. Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP at 760-366-3707.

My thoughts and prayers are with Franchesca Bredwick following this hit-and-run car accident. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery and I’m relieved to hear Gonzalez and his young sister were not injured.

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Victor Arenas, 20, was killed in a Ventura car accident, which officials say involved a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, the fatal car crash occurred along the 101 Highway near the Faria Beach campground in Ventura, the morning of January 15, 2012. Officials say 20-year-old Abram Pineda of Santa Paula may have been under the influence of alcohol when he lost control of the vehicle, in which Arenas was a passenger, and crashed into an RV.

Arenas died at the scene of the crash. Pineda and Anthony Daniel Saenz, 20, suffered minor injuries. Passengers in the motor home, 72-year old Peggy Booth, 66-year old James Booth, and Clara Glanville, 56, also sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Pineda was arrested after attempting to flee the scene on foot.

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Ray Rogers, 67, was killed in a Modesto car accident, which police say, involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a News 10 report, the fatal hit-and-run accident occurred at the intersection of Sutter Avenue and Rouse Avenue in Modesto, the morning of January 6, 2012. Officials say Rogers was crossing the road on his bicycle when a white pickup truck struck him. He succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital. Officials are asking for the public's help to find this hit-and-run driver. An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 209-652-2260 or send a text message anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 274637 and type "TIP704" with the message.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Ray Rogers following this tragic hit-and-run car accident. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), Modesto bicycle accidents claimed the life of one person and injured 73. Throughout Stanislaus County, there was one fatality and 134 injuries reported due to bicycle accidents during the same year.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

Based on this news report, the driver of the white pickup hit the bicyclist and then drove away without calling the authorities or stopping to offer help. Appalling! Leaving the scene of an accident when someone has been hurt is not only inhumane and irresponsible, but it is also illegal.

California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a) states: "The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."

Holding Hit-and-Run Drivers Accountable

Officials are searching for the driver and the white pickup involved in this crash. If you have any information about this accident, please visit our web site, www.hitandrunreward.com. Our site allows witnesses to provide an anonymous tip and also become eligible to receive a $1,000 reward.

The family of a deceased hit-and-run victim would be well advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Modesto personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A skilled car accident attorney will be able to better inform families in such cases about how their own auto insurance policy applies to an incident where the suspect is not found, or, in a crash where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.

Michelle Simmons is offering a $1,500 cash reward to anyone that can help her locate the hit-and-run driver responsible for causing the San Francisco area car accident that resulted in serious injuries for her and a passenger. The hit-and-run car accident occurred the evening of November 29, 2011 on Watsonville Road in the unincorporated Gilroy area of Santa Clara.

According to The Morgan Hill Times, Simmons was driving a Honda convertible and rounding a blind curve when her vehicle approached a car in her lane of traffic. The vehicle clipped the front of her Honda sending it spinning into a telephone pole and down a roadside ravine. Simmons suffered a leg injury and burns to her face. Her passenger sustained a broken back and both of them still suffer from whiplash-related back problems. Simmons is offering the reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hit-and-run driver in this case.

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A San Diego car accident, which fatally injured 48-year-old Marciano Mendoza Cruz, may have been caused by a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal car accident occurred on the 15 Freeway at Route 78 in Escondido, the morning of December 12, 2011. Officials say Cruz was a passenger in a 1999 BMW being driven by his daughter, Anallely Mendoza, 20. Officials say Anallely Mendoza was driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle sending it spinning into the path of a Ford Econoline van. The van hit the BMW on the passenger side and the father sustained fatal injuries. Officials were getting ready to charge the daughter for reckless driving.

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