A young man died on a busy Sacramento street. His family claims the road is unsafe by design
The family of a 22-year-old Sacramento man killed in a traffic incident last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against local government agencies, saying the road has a high-speed limit, lacks crosswalks and is unsafe.
The parents of Pedro Ramon Garcia Aguila, 22, are suing the driver, city, county and state, according to the lawsuit filed Nov. 21 in Sacramento Superior Court.
Aguila was killed at approximately 6 p.m. Dec. 7, 2021 while crossing eastbound on Marconi Avenue, near the intersection of Watsam Lane in Carmichael.
In the lawsuit, Aguila’s parents say the driver, Muktar Ahmad Alamyr, “drove at a speed greater than reasonable under circumstances.” They allege that Marconi Avenue has increased rates of accidents, limited crosswalks and a “high-speed limit” of 40 miles per hour despite the “high density of population in the area.”
The lawsuit also cited previous concerns about the speed limit and absence of crosswalk markings from residents living near Marconi Avenue. The family is seeking $1 million in damages.
Alamyr was driving approximately 40 miles per hour in dark conditions when Aguila attempted to cross outside a “marked crosswalk,” according to a Sacramento police report. Aguila was pronounced dead at the scene. The report said Aguila caused the collision by not walking on a crosswalk and failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
Omid Razi, an attorney for Aguila’s family, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Sacramento County spokeswoman Janna Haynes also declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Alamyr declined to comment as well.
Last year, The Sacramento Bee reported half of the crashes in the city of Sacramento resulting in a pedestrian killed or seriously injured occur in disadvantaged communities. Black pedestrians also die at a disproportionate rate in Sacramento County traffic accidents.
Among the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in the county are El Camino Avenue and Del Paso Boulevard, Stockton Boulevard and Florin Road, Mack Road and Center Parkway, Florin Road and Franklin Boulevard, and Watt Avenue and Auburn Boulevard.
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
