Bay Area Good Samaritan killed in highway accident
A 36-year-old Bay Area woman stopped her vehicle to assist two people whose vehicle was stranded on Highway 156. The Good Samaritan stopped her sport utility vehicle on the right shoulder of the two-lane highway to assist the people with car trouble. The woman was struck and killed in a car accident along the side of the highway.
The woman has spoken with the two people briefly and was attempting to return to her SUV when she was struck. An 18-year-old Garden Grove woman was driving westbound in a Toyota sedan, which reportedly struck the accident victim. The victim's 12-year-old son watched in horror as his mother was fatally struck in the accident.
Emergency responders to the scene called in a grief counselor to console the victim's son. Later, the young man was taken to the CHP's Salinas office to be re-united with his stepfather.
The San Francisco Bay Area woman was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the injuries she sustained in the accident. The accident occurred near the Monte del Lago mobile home park at around 11 a.m.
Authorities closed the highway between Prunedale and Castroville for roughly two hours after the accident to conduct a preliminary investigation of the accident scene. Officers continue to investigate the accident. Authorities say it does not appear that drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.
Officer Robert Lehman, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol says "the highway is not a good place for anyone." He says law enforcement knows the dangers of the highway, but he says motorists should remain in their vehicles along the roadway with their seatbelts buckled and call the highway patrol for assistance when stranded.
Source: Monterey herald, "Bay Area woman helping stranded motorist hit, killed by car as son watches," Larry Parsons 10 Jun 2011
