December 14, 2009
On December 1st, 2009, a 43 year old Los Gatos woman was hit by a car as she was jaywalking near the Starbucks along Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos. She later died of her injuries. Just a couple of days ago, I saw a man, probably also in his 40s, jaywalking in exactly the same location, between Roberts Road and Los Gatos Boulevard. There are traffic signals and crosswalks at Roberts Road and Los Gatos Boulevard, but he, too, chose to take an unsettling shortcut.
Blossom Hill Road bends at this point, and cars cannot see if you’re rushing to get to Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Hollywood Video, Pier 1 or any of the other cool shops at this busy stretch of the road. It’s a blind turn. The woman who died no doubt left many loved ones behind and is deeply mourned, but her accident also traumatized those strangers who witnessed it, especially the 19 year old driver of the car which struck her. That poor teenager will probably be haunted for the rest of her life by this unnecessary tragedy.
Please, don’t jaywalk, especially in areas where the road bends. As a pedestrian, you’re just not as visible as you think. The shortcut isn’t worth it.
