A horrific rear-end crash on Monday night in Fontana has left a couple and their young child dead. According to KABC News, the accident happened at about 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Citrus Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. The victims, Shawn Michael Scott, 33, Helen Terry Amaya, also 33, and their 2-year-old daughter, Joleen, were killed when their car was struck from behind by a speeding truck and pushed out into the intersection, resulting in a cross-traffic collision. Witnesses described the impact as sounding like a bomb went off. The driver of the truck, identified only as a 24-year-old, suffered a broken ankle and his passenger sustained a broken leg. He has not yet been charged or arrested in connection with the accident. Fontana police say the 24-year-old driver who ran the red light has been interviewed but not arrested. That driver's identity was not released. Authorities say the driver broke his ankle in the crash, and his passenger sustained a broken leg. Amaya's family members have started a fund for collection of funeral and burial expenses, and donations can be made at www.gofundme.com.
Rear-end Accidents and Liability
In California, there is a presumption of negligence against the driver of any vehicle who strikes a vehicle ahead. It is presumed the driver was traveling at a speed unsafe for the conditions since they were obviously unable to stop in time to avoid the impact with the car ahead. In the accident above, not only did the red truck strike a stopped vehicle but, according to the news report, the truck was captured in a video traveling at a high rate of speed just before the tragic collision. Certainly, the driver the vehicle stopped at the light cannot be blamed, even in part, for what happened. It will be very interesting to see whether alcohol or drugs or both played a role in the happening of the accident.
Pomona Traffic Accidents
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, the City of Fontana ranks above average for cities of that size in terms of overall injury and fatal accidents. The same is also true for nighttime accidents, Fontana ranks 40th out of 53 cities, which means only 13 cities have a better rate of nighttime accidents. The accident above occurred at night, although fairly early as opposed to one at or near the time people would be expected to leave bars and nightclubs. Given the age of the truck's driver, 24, there is the distinct possibility that driver impairment played some role in the accident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers in the 21 to 24 year-old age range are in the highest risk group when it comes to driving while impaired.
SOURCE: Fontana crash: Video shows speeding truck in crash that killed family, KABC News, Inland Empire News, October 22, 2013, by Marc Brown, Christina Salvo and Rob McMillan
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