SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV)— A San Marcos student is clinging to life tonight after being hit by a vehicle.
The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning at the intersection of Rancho Santa Fe Road and San Marcos Boulevard, next to San Marcos High School.
The San Marcos Unified School District said the family does not expect their daughter to survive.
"I can personally share that this news is so sudden and saddening, it will no doubt will have an impact on us all," Superintendent Dr. Andy Johnsen said. "In response, and to help us all process today’s event, we have our crisis and counseling teams supporting our SMHS community, and should you or your student need support, your school administration will ensure you are connected to needed supports at your campus."
The intersection near where the student was hit is known to be one of the Marcos High School is known to be dangerous, according to SANDAG data.
Laura Keenan, Co-founder of Families for Safe Streets San Diego Chapter, spoke to ABC 10news about pedestrian safety and said, "Pedestrian fatalities are on the rise, both locally and in our country."
Families for Safe Streets San Diego Chapter supports families who have either lost loved ones or survived traffic crashes.
Keenan said according to a UC Berkeley report, last year, 258 people were killed on San Diego streets, and 83 of them were pedestrians.
"These deaths are preventable, and because they are one-off events often, I think our society doesn't pay a lot of attention to them," Keenan said.
Keenan said the main causes of pedestrian crashes include,
- Vehicle sizes are getting bigger, making it harder to see people walking
- Vehicle colliding with pedestrians close to their heart area, making it fatal
- Night and dusk hours
- Street lighting
- Street design
Keenan said improving each of these causes will benefit everyone, "We know that when we make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, who we consider our most vulnerable road users, it makes streets safer for everyone, including drivers."
