A 78-year-old Santa Ana man, Lamberto Mejia, was hit and killed by two vehicles this early this morning at 5:30 a.m. after he tried to cross outside of a crosswalk at the 1700 block of West McFadden Avenue, which is near Jerome Park and MLK Elementary School, according to the O.C. Register. The incident happened in Santa Ana’s Ward 4, which is represented on the City Council by Councilman David Benavides.
Keep in mind the fact that it is still dark at 5:30 a.m. – and the two drivers who hit Mejia stayed at the scene and spoke to the police, who closed McFadden Ave. between S. Raitt St. and S. Pacific Ave. until 11 am today.
Ironically a few hours later the City of Santa Ana sent out a press release asking residents to fill out an online survey to “help make our streets safer for biking, walking, and driving.”
The City’s pedestrian safety survey press release noted that “The City of Santa Ana is committed to making our streets safer for biking, walking and driving. The City has been actively working to identify and address barriers to make streets safe and convenient for all road users, secure funding to improve pedestrian and bike safety as well as educating and enforcing proper road use and behavior by all. Some of the City’s recent initiatives include initiating the City’s Safe Mobility Santa Ana plan, hiring of an Active Transportation Coordinator, engaging the community for the Downtown Complete Streets Plan, and securing nearly $5 Million in grants for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements.”