One Dead, Another Critically Injured in Pedestrian Crash
Posted on September 10, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Car accidents are not confined to just vehicles colliding with one another. Sometimes bicyclists and even pedestrians get involved in car collisions. On a tragic Saturday afternoon on September 8, a woman’s life was suddenly ended when a pickup driver veered off the road and crashed into the sidewalk. The female victim was with another female friend who is currently in the hospital due to critical personal injuries.
While in the Bay Area to visit her son and his new wife, Santa Barbara resident Sherry Hicks met her sudden and heartbreaking death. The 52-year old lady traveled up to Northern California with her husband to see her son and wife.
When walking down the sidewalk with her daughter-in-law, a pickup truck driven by Hossein Tabrizi crashed into the pedestrian walkway at around 6:15 p.m. The daughter-in-law, a female in her 20s, is in very critical condition at Walnut Creek’s John Muir Medical Center. Tabrizi is booked in the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of vehicle manslaughter.
Witnesses say that the pickup truck hit the ladies at such a strong force that it sent Hicks flying into a center median about 80 feet away. She was declared dead on the scene. Tabrizi’s truck was wedged between a streetlight pole and wall. It took tow trucks a couple hours to pull the pickup free. The metal roof of the car had to be cut back in order to free Tabrizi. He was taken to the hospital where he was released at 3:45 a.m. on Sunday morning and arrested.
At the sidewalk scene, two stuffed teddy bears and a bouquet of flowers was placed. One teddy bear held a note which said “I am very sorry for your loss. Rest in peace dear lady.”
Individuals in the Marriott Hotel nearby witnessed the accident. One employee, who is a paramedic, even rushed to Hicks side within seconds of the crash. Other witnesses said they saw the son—who saw his mother killed and wife badly hurt—break down on the sidewalk and cry.
There is an investigation ongoing on the scene of the accident. The southbound lanes of Main Street were closed Sunday morning as officials inspected the scene. There is no word yet whether or not Tabrizi was speeding or if drugs or alcohol were a factor.
Hicks was a math teacher at the Santa Barbara City College where she met with high school students one-on-one to teach them math. A colleague described the compassionate woman as someone who “always went the extra mile. She was loved by al her students and will be greatly missed.”
The wrongful death accident of Sherry Hicks proves how negligent driving can cause pain and suffering to close loved ones and family members. As the daughter and newly wedded wife struggles to overcome the critical personal injury she attained, a personal injury lawyer should be contacted to help justice prevail.
