16-Year-Old Girl Fatally Struck By Car While Crossing Street In South LA
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 16-year-old girl believed to be walking to school was struck by a vehicle and killed Monday morning while crossing a street in South Los Angeles.
The girl, identified Monday afternoon as high school student Whitney Rivas, was hit at about 6:30 a.m. near Broadway and 104th Street. She died at the scene.
Police said the girl was walking in a crosswalk and trying to to catch a city bus en route to her downtown Los Angeles high school when she was struck by a Jeep.
The SUV carried her body a short distance before the driver came to a stop and called 911.
Rivas' boyfriend Eduardo Castaneda said he was waiting for her on a bench this morning, but heartbreak set in when she never showed up. He learned the tragic news hours later.
"I was waiting at the same bench we always wait and she never showed up today," he said. "She was just a wonderful girl. We were at homecoming last Saturday. That was the last time I saw her."
Police are treating the fatal crash as a tragic accident and it's believed the driver had a green light.
Some South LA residents say they have long worried about similar accidents on Broadway, as many drivers travel dangerously along the street.
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