Thirteen people were injured or killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver in Redondo Beach Wednesday night.
The accident happened at about 8 p.m. at the intersection of Vincent St. and Pacific Coast Highway. A crowd was standing outside St. James Catholic Church after a school Christmas concert. Concert-goers were just crossing the street in a crosswalk when Margo Bronstein, a 56-year-old Redondo Beach resident, ran a red light and barreled into the intersection. After hitting the pedestrians, Bronstein's car slammed head-on into another vehicle.
Bronstein was arrested for drunk driving. According to the Redondo Beach Police Department, Bronstein may also have had prescription medication in her system. DMV records indicate that Bronstein was required to drive a vehicle with hand-controlled brakes and an additional right-side mirror.
Three Torrance residents who were in the crosswalk were killed: Martha Gaza (age 36), Mary Anne Wilson (age 81) and Saeko Matsumura (age 87). The drunk driver, as well as at least nine other people, was injured in the accident. The injury victims included five children between the ages of 5 and 14.
Who Will Pay For the Harm?
Whenever a negligent driver causes injury to multiple victims, there is a good chance the at-fault driver did not have enough liability insurance to cover everyone's claims. If that is the case, the injury victims, or parents of an injured child, can make a claim under their own auto insurance if they had uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on their car. Read more about making an uninsured/underinsured motorist claim here.
If you have been injured in an accident and believe the negligent driver may not have enough insurance, you should speak with a car accident lawyer to find out your options. An attorney at McGee, Lerer & Associates is available 24/7 for a free consultation.
We have five office locations: Long Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Pasadena.