YesJess

A friend of mine, Joe Garcia's, Brother died in a car accident. And I'm wishing you all can pray for his family. This is just really upsetting.

Sitting in a small folding chair on the sidewalk, her legs wrapped in a blanket to ward off the night chill, an elderly woman watched in somber silence as a light breeze teased the flames of the more than two dozen candles resting a few feet in front of her.

Above the flickering candles, seeming to float in the dim light, were pictures of a smiling young man; alone, in a high-school yearbook photo, and with friends and family. Next to the photos was a typed message about memorial services, and that contributions to a funeral fund were being gratefully accepted by the young man's family.

As the elderly woman; a relative; spoke with passersby, a small white car raced past on East Chevy Chase Drive, its taillights quickly flashing past as it easily doubled the street's posted speed limit, straddled two lanes, then disappeared around a bend in the road.

"That's how he got killed," said a younger woman at the vigil, tracking the car as it sped away. "He went into the street and got hit by someone doing that (speeding)."

"He" was Christopher David Garcia, 20, an East Chevy Chase Drive resident, who reportedly ran into the street late Wednesday afternoon and directly into the path of a car. Garcia was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was taken off life support Thursday night and died shortly thereafter.

What, exactly, happened in the incident is unclear, despite the young woman's assertion. Police have said Garcia ran from a driveway and into the street while wearing headphones, and was hit in the inside lane of traffic, well away from the curb. He also was crossing at an unmarked spot; the nearest crosswalk is about 100 yards away, at Boynton Street and Chevy Chase.

What is clear, however, is that tragedy has again been visited upon a Glendale family because someone ; pedestrian, driver or both ; was not careful on our streets.

This space has been used many times over the past several years to highlight the traffic-safety problems our city faces. Drivers go too fast, take too many chances, and don't pay attention. Pedestrians are careless, too ; they cross against lights, in the middle of blocks, and without checking their surroundings before stepping into the street.

The death of Christopher David Garcia, like the death in February of Christine Seo of La Crescenta, and the deaths of dozens of other people over the past decade, probably could have been avoided if one or the other party, or both, had exercised some caution. So could most of the non-fatal accidents that result from carelessness and excessive speed.

So, once again, let's ask ourselves these questions as we enjoy the holidays: Is it worth my life to get somewhere perhaps a few minutes faster? Is it worth someone else's?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/gl...e-news-opinion