It’s happened yet again.
Another bike rider has been killed in a South LA hit-and-run, the third person murdered by heartless, cowardly drivers in the last week.
All on streets identified as part of the city’s High Injury Network.
And all in CD8 Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s district.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the victim was struck by one driver and run over by at least one other motorist at the intersection of South Avalon and East Century Boulevards — all of whom left the scene.
KNBC-4 adds more detail, saying the victim, identified only as a man who appeared to be in his 60s, was crossing Century headed south in the crosswalk on Avalon when he was struck around 12:15 pm.
Both drivers fled the scene, before a second driver in a Lexus SUV, eventually returned and talked with police.
Which means the first driver should face a murder charge for leaving his victim lying in the street to be run over at least one other time.
We’ll never know if the victim might have survived if the first driver had stopped. What we do know is that after leaving him sprawled and bleeding in the road, he probably never had a chance.
We’ll also never know if he would had survived if the city had moved forward with the safety improvements called for as part of the LA Vision Zero’s High Injury Network.
But we do know that the failure to take any action after identifying the problem could leave the city with a greater legal liability for this death, as well as the two previous deaths in the district this past week.
Not to mention the bicyclist seriously injured in a deliberate hit-and-run assault while participating in a protest Wednesday afternoon.
And never mind that the City of Los Angeles is well aware of the hit-and-run epidemic, but done little to address it other than passing a standing reward program.
This is at least the 17th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth in Los Angeles County; it’s also the seventh in the City of Los Angeles.
There is an automatic $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in this case.
Update: The victim has been identified as 60-year old Christopher White, no town of residence given.
While the story mentions the $50,000 reward for the hit-and-run death of Frederick Frazier, there should also be a similar reward in this case under the city’s hit-and-run reward program.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Christopher White and his loved ones.
Thanks to Michael MacDonald for the heads-up.
