Saturday night, a pedestrian was killed after being hit by two hit-and-run drivers in Santa Ana.
The accident happened about 8:40 p.m. The pedestrian, 55-year-old Jose Javier Diaz, was crossing the street in the 400 block of South Broadway, just south of Chestnut Ave. Diaz was outside the crosswalk.
As the pedestrian was crossing the street's northbound lanes, he was hit by a white Chevy pickup truck that was traveling northbound. The impact propelled him into the southbound lanes. About two to four minutes later, Diaz was hit by a green Ford Mustang convertible traveling southbound. Both drivers fled the scene.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released the name of the victim. They are asking for the public's help in identifying the two drivers who struck the pedestrian. Police say that the Chevy and the Mustang likely sustained damage in the accident.
According to Santa Ana police Cmdr. Tammy Franks, a witness reported that before the accident, Diaz was wandering in the street and behaving erratically.
If you or someone you know has been injured or suffered a wrongful death as the result of being hit by a car or truck, a personal injury attorney at McGee, Lerer and Associates is available 24/7 to provide a free consultation. The firm has offices in Santa Monica, Long Beach, Pasadena and Los Angeles.
If the drivers who struck and killed the pedestrian are never identified, and the hit-and-run accident victim owned a vehicle which had uninsured motorist coverage, the victim's family can make an uninsured motorist claim under the victim's auto insurance policy. Most people do not know that your own uninsured motorist coverage will apply if you are injured in a hit-and-run accident or hit by an uninsured driver while you are a pedestrian or on a bicycle. You do not have to be in a vehicle for your uninsured motorist coverage to apply; it applies as long as you were injured by a vehicle.