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July 19, 2010· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

Another senseless pedestrian death

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

The Sheriff’s Station has released the name of the 15 year old who was hit and killed by a truck on Sunday in Canyon Country. He is Eric Michael Gilhooley, and KHTS reports he was “standing on the curb on Soledad Canyon Road when he was struck by the car driven by a 47 year old Canyon Country man.”

I know this part of town pretty well- along this section of Soledad is a nice, wide bike lane that’s used by hundreds of cyclists every week:

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Both KHTS and SCVSheriff.com say the vehicle struck the curb and overturned. For that to have happened, the driver must have left his normal traffic lane and passed through the relatively wide bike lane before striking the curb. How unfortunate that a 15 year old kid was standing right where the driver crashed.

I’m still a little raw over the 4th of July crash that killed Matilda Garnica so it’s even more upsetting now to lose a 15 year old kid who was probably just enjoying his summer vacation.

My heart goes out to his family.

EDIT:

The Signal adds this disturbing detail in their Qwik-E email:

Comments (16)

  1. John AdamsJuly 19, 2010 at 1:36 pm
    Very Sad! Lets blame it on the city for not having the road closed
  2. SarahJuly 19, 2010 at 2:01 pm
    Wow, John! You must love sarcasm. I hope nothing ever happens to one of your family members or friends. This is incredibly sad. I don’t think your comment was necessary, but if it made you feel good, good for you!
  3. John AdamsJuly 19, 2010 at 2:14 pm
    Yeah, you are right. It was in poor taste and I apologize!
  4. ThomasJuly 20, 2010 at 12:11 pm
    John, no need to apologize. You are right. Where are all the people demanding the other person be arrested on the 4th of July incident? Why aren’t they out in mass now? Both of these incidents are tragic accidents. I do not wish them upon anyone. But it is strange that everyone caused an uproar on the 4th incident trying to blame the city and Sheriffs, but no one is jumping on the blame wagon on this one. Strange.
  5. SarahJuly 20, 2010 at 8:12 pm
    Thomas two totally different incidents with different circumstances. Fourth of July incident…there were fireworks and it was a city sponsored event with thousands of people surrounding the mall to watch fireworks. I’m not saying whether the street should have been closed or not, but I’m leaning with the closed option. However, being the mother of two small children, I can tell you that I would not have sat at that location to watch the fireworks without the street being closed. I know this for a fact as I won’t wait outside Islands for a table for the very same reason. I think the cars drive too fast and since there is no shoulder there whatsoever, it is a danger zone for small children. Every time I dine at Islands I comment to my husband about how the restaurant’s entrance should have been placed on the other side (facing the parking lot). Obviously, Soledad cannot be closed down on a Sunday morning. This young man was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, if it comes out that a cell phone or texting is to blame, no doubt about it, the gentleman driving the car should be arrested and tried for manslaughter. I’m not saying that he was talking on the phone or texting, but it sounds as if something distracted him in order for him to drift onto the sidewalk. And Thomas, John’s comment was inappropriate and he acknowledged it as such.
  6. ThomasJuly 21, 2010 at 7:13 am
    I agree with you on the Islands. I will not wait there either.
  7. MRJuly 19, 2010 at 2:05 pm
    Wondering how killing a pedestrian is not manslaughter- even if it is an accident.
  8. ReaderMamaJuly 19, 2010 at 2:15 pm
    I think there has to be some form of negligence or crime committed for there to be manslaughter charges. If the driver was drunk or ran a red light, then manslaughter charges can be filed. In the case of mechanical failure or in swerving to avoid another hazard, there would be no manslaughter charges.
  9. mikecJuly 19, 2010 at 7:33 pm
    might possibly (depending on how it’s defined in CA) be vehicular manslaughter
  10. ReaderMamaJuly 19, 2010 at 2:19 pm
    This is a terrible tragedy and my heart aches for Eric Gilhooley’s family. I can’t imagine any greater pain than losing a child.
  11. Sean "1978" MorrisseyJuly 19, 2010 at 2:30 pm
    Horrible story. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but it sounds like speed had to be an issue. Any idea what the speed limit is in that area?
  12. anonymousJuly 19, 2010 at 2:33 pm
    I believe it is 45mph, I know just a little further down it’s 50mph. My thoughts and prayers go out to Eric’s family. What a tragedy!!!!
  13. anonymousJuly 19, 2010 at 2:37 pm
    Does anyone know if the driver of the vehicle was turning onto Soledad from Gailxy or was he traveling down Soledad? I know that the residents on Gailxy and Bainbury have been complaining for a long time about the increase in traffic volume and speeds.
  14. CCJuly 19, 2010 at 3:23 pm
    So young and so sad.
  15. Kel TJuly 20, 2010 at 2:02 pm
    This is very sad. Eric was a good kid, in a bad home. His mom died and his dad didn’t seem too interested in raising his two children. I feel really bad for his brother, who while not the best law abiding citizen, certainly loved his brother. I hope this wakes his father up so he can be a father the one son he has left. Traffic cops in SCV are so strained by the rules of the department and the fact that quotas are not allowed and let’s face it while none of us like to get a ticket, let’s start respecting the officers who pull us over when we are that person speeding or on our phone. WE all do something, but when we get pulled over we ALL want a break. Any ONE of us could have been the person who hit Eric. We need to slow down, pay attention to our surroundings and drive cautiosly so another mother or father or child does not lose someone so important to their life. I hope Eric is with his mom, now. That’s the only good thing that could come out of this. I know he missed her terribly.
  16. RORY SPIGELMANJuly 22, 2010 at 1:49 am
    HEY…… i have to say… if i were any of you i would be judging as well. but im not…. and i know the driver. i know the facts…. i know he doesnt drink or do drugs and that was already proven. HE ALSO DID NOT HAVE A CELL PHONE ON HIM….which was also proven…. so all of you questioning the fact that a cell phone might have been an issue, is irrelevant. NOW…. what we are dealing with is a devasted man who, im not so sure can move past this. this is a man who lost his sister to a drunk driver years ago… this is a man who has seven kids. a man who lives and breathes children. ive known him my whole life and i dont know if he can make it past this… so, i ask you all… please dont judge…. hes judging himself enough. his life will never be the same… ever- his life is over as well… dont even think for a minute its not.. hes got a heart bigger than anyone i know…. and i know some very wonderful people…. as i write to you all now…. i dont know what happened to him. they are doing several tests, as i know this must have been a medical condition. again… i am not taking away from the horrid tragedy that accured… but i know the person behind the wheel….. i would trust him with my life…… and i beleive he died too that day… in his heart….. and to all that say he is a mormon… if anything that should be a positive. he had faith…. i am not a practing religious person at all… just fyi… but, faith changed him over 25 years ago….. please think before you assume …… this man is wise, loving and honoring… and would be the man who pulled over and helped a person in need with no questions asked… -unknown

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