A particular “no crossing” road sign located at an intersection is one of the reasons why the city of San Diego is being sued by the family members of a tourist who died in March.
The 29-year-old visitor from Arizona identified as Virginia Ortega was said to be illegally crossing the intersection of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway when she was hit by a San Diego Seals Tour bus. Ortega was brought to a hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Ortega’s mother, Carrie, claims that her daughter’s death could have been prevented if only the “no crossing” sign was placed where it can easily be seen by pedestrians and was big enough to catch their attention. The said road sign was small and pedestrians had an obscure view of it.
Aside from the road sign, the family claims that the design of the tour bus is also likely to contribute to the accident as the driver’s seats are highly elevated from the road and so they are not able to immediately see pedestrians crossing the street.
The owner of the tour bus claims that the driver is only about 10 feet from the ground and that there is someone sitting on the passenger seat to spot the passing pedestrians.
The family wants the city to evaluate the San Diego tour bus and to modify the particular “no crossing” sign located at the intersection where Virginia Ortega died.
It is important for the local government to monitor these accidents that could have been caused by a defective road sign or fixture. They will be held liable for any negligence on their part especially if there were tour bus accidents before and yet, nothing was done about the road sign that should warn against the crossing of pedestrians.
The 29-year-old visitor from Arizona identified as Virginia Ortega was said to be illegally crossing the intersection of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway when she was hit by a San Diego Seals Tour bus. Ortega was brought to a hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Ortega’s mother, Carrie, claims that her daughter’s death could have been prevented if only the “no crossing” sign was placed where it can easily be seen by pedestrians and was big enough to catch their attention. The said road sign was small and pedestrians had an obscure view of it.
Aside from the road sign, the family claims that the design of the tour bus is also likely to contribute to the accident as the driver’s seats are highly elevated from the road and so they are not able to immediately see pedestrians crossing the street.
The owner of the tour bus claims that the driver is only about 10 feet from the ground and that there is someone sitting on the passenger seat to spot the passing pedestrians.
The family wants the city to evaluate the San Diego tour bus and to modify the particular “no crossing” sign located at the intersection where Virginia Ortega died.
It is important for the local government to monitor these accidents that could have been caused by a defective road sign or fixture. They will be held liable for any negligence on their part especially if there were tour bus accidents before and yet, nothing was done about the road sign that should warn against the crossing of pedestrians.
