Anyone who's ever used the crosswalk on Hyperion in Silver Lake between Trader Joe's and Gelson's knows how treacherous it is. Cars zoom up and down the street in a fury, and pedestrians brazenly intersect the flow of traffic without so much as a look either way. Well, I've searched and searched for any media or blog follow-up mention of the guy who was killed at that crosswalk on Jan. 20 and, having found none, here is what City News Service filed on the day of the accident, citing KCAL9:
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Los Feliz today, police said. The accident occurred in the 2800 block of Hyperion Boulevard about 5:10 p.m., said an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Traffic Division. An investigation was ongoing, he said. The victim was struck by a white Range Rover while in a crosswalk, which crosses four lanes of traffic outside a Trader Joe's grocery store, KCAL9 reported. The victim was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, Channel 9 reported. Police said the incident appeared to be a tragic accident, according to the TV station.
Here's KCAL9's story. Sounded like a horrendous accident: I was told the impact was so strong the victim flew more than 25 feet and actually skidded on the concrete for about 5 feet. Poor guy... To die on a Saturday afternoon at Trader Joe's, crossing the street with thoughts of trail mix, frozen pizza, and white wine dancing in your head. And --SNAP!-- it's over. I saw flowers and notes attached to a pole there the other day. Here is an online petition for a traffic signal at 2730 Hyperion that says the victim's name was Bill Wingard. * Photo by tmkeesey.
** Here is a link to a fresh update on this post, "RIP Bill Wingard."