ROAD DEATHS ON THE RISE LANCASTER FATALITIES PRACTICALLY DOUBLE.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer LANCASTER - Driving in Lancaster is much deadlier than last year: the city's traffic death toll has reached nearly double 1999's total. Nineteen people have died in 18 crashes since Jan. 1 - nearly half the Antelope Valley's total - up from 10 last year. Four of the crashes involved drinking, drugs or a combination of both. Others were caused by mistakes like running a red light, making an unsafe left turn or passing in front of an oncoming vehicle, officials said. ``It's not any one thing that we could focus on and try to correct,'' said Lancaster Traffic Sgt. Gus Risinger. ``They're caused from a variety of reasons.'' Valleywide, officials say 42 people have died this year - 11 of those in just over 1 1/2 months, the latest on Thursday - compared with just 31 fatalities reported from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 1999. The valley's most recent fatality fa·tal·i·ty n. 1. A death resulting from an accident or disaster. 2. One that is killed as a result of such an occurrence. came when a Montrose motorcyclist riding on Angeles Forest Highway The Angeles Forest Highway traverses the Angeles National Forest and connects the Los Angeles basin to the Antelope Valley by going up and over the San Gabriel Mountains. The highway is variously known as County Road N-3 or FH-59 or the Palmdale cutoff. It is about 25 miles long. near Acton ran into a flatbed truck A flatbed truck is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. It has an entirely flat, level body with absolutely no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods, and consequently they are used to transport heavy loads that are not delicate or , California Highway Patrols officials said. Earlier this month, a motorcyclist died in a head-on collision A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side-collision or rear-end collision. Rail transport With rail, a head-on collision often implies a collision on a single line railway. on Avenue I while trying to pass slower-moving traffic, a woman was killed when her daughter attempted a left turn at a busy Lancaster intersection and her car was hit broadside, and two people died when a woman lost control of her car on Highway 138 while passing a truck. In Palmdale, eight people have died in crashes so far this year, compared with nine deaths last year. In unincorporated areas, which include the maligned ma·lign tr.v. ma·ligned, ma·lign·ing, ma·ligns To make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of. adj. 1. Evil in disposition, nature, or intent. 2. Highway 138 through Littlerock and Pearblossom, 15 people have died in 14 crashes this year, compared to 12 fatalities last year. Traffic investigators say they have no idea why Lancaster fatalities increased, since crashes involve a number of factors that are not necessarily linked to one another. ``There is no violation for not paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard , but there should be,'' Risinger said. ``It's never the causal factor causal factor Medtalk A factor linked to the causation of a disease or health problem but it definitely plays a role.'' |
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