A 14-year-old was struck by a car while riding his bicycle to school on Monday, August 30.
PORT LAVACA, Texas – A 14-year-old was struck by a car while riding his bicycle to school in Port Lavaca on Monday, August 30.
Lt. Eric Salles of the Port Lavaca Police Department confirmed the incident occurred at the intersection of San Antonio and George Street.
Maria Magdalena Alvarez said her son George Segura was on his way to Calhoun High School the morning of.
Alvarez said she wasn’t in town at the time of the incident. She said someone called (she did not mention who called) to inform her that her son was involved in an accident.
“For me, it was a really sad moment. I feel bad for saying this, but the person that called me, told me the lady was on her cell phone,” said Alvarez. “What I don’t understand is how a mother or parent can be on their cell phone in an area where kids are heading to school.”
Alvarez also mentioned that the driver did not stop at the scene, but Lt. Salles confirmed that the driver did stop.
Lt. Salles also explained what happened the morning of based on a police report.
According to Lt. Salles, the car was traveling West on George Street and Segura was traveling North on San Antonio Street. The car proceeded through the intersection and hit the bicycle.
Lt. Salles confirmed the incident happened near Travis Middle School.
No citations were issued and the crash report is complete.
25 News Now followed up. Below is the response from Lt. Salles about the possible cause of the accident.
According to the crash report, a contributing factor for the operator of the vehicle shows driver inattention. There is a possible contributing factor of cellular phone usage, however it is unclear if she was or was not using her cellular communication device at the time of the accident. There is also a possible contributing factor for the bicycle disregarding the stop sign prior to crossing the intersection. Crash reports rely heavily on what is reported to the Officer from each party. The reports are then sent to the insurance companies to determine fault.
During the interview, Alvarez said that the incident happened near a school zone.
According to the City of Port Lavaca, the intersection where the incident happened is not considered a school zone.
“Today it was my son, but another day it could be somebody else’s child,” said Alvarez. “There needs to be more restrictions.”
Alvarez hopes that there will be more restrictions especially near school zones.
She said her son’s life will never be the same.
“I feel so sad watching my son, cry and scream because he can’t stand the pain,” she said.
Her son is currently recovering.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, last year 731 people died in pedestrian-related crashes, an increase of 9% from 2019. Crashes involving bicyclists claimed the lives of 82 people, up from 68 deaths the previous year.
Like drivers, bicyclists are required to obey all traffic signs and signals, including stopping at red lights and stop signs. State laws also dictate that those who ride bicycles must use hand signals when turning or stopping, ride with traffic, use bike lanes or ride as near as possible to the right-hand curb, and when riding at night, make sure their bikes have a white light on the front and a red light or reflector on the back.
Pedestrians must cross the street only at intersections and crosswalks, obey all traffic and crosswalk signals and always use sidewalks. If there isn’t a sidewalk, pedestrians should walk on the left side of the street or road, facing oncoming traffic.
Drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists can expect to see these safety reminders on TV, billboards, gas pumps, buses and social media, as TxDOT reminds Texans to do their part to prevent pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities.
25 News Now will continue to follow up with police for updates.
No other details we provided.
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