Hit-and-Run Prompts a Protest Over Traffic

For years, the residents of Lake Manor near the Chatsworth Reservoir have been complaining about Lake Manor Drive.

The curvy, two-lane roadway, a shortcut for commuters going to and from Simi Valley, has been plagued by speeders and other reckless drivers, residents say.

Last month, their frustrations boiled over into anger when 12-year-old Brandon Martin, who was crossing the street on a scooter, was struck by a hit-and-run driver. The boy, who suffered serious head and leg injuries, is in a coma at UCLA Medical Center.

“Our community is outraged by the blatant disregard of these reckless drivers who cruise and speed on our main road,” said Robert Hurley, one of about three dozen residents at a street-side demonstration Monday protesting the dangerous traffic. “Our community will not rest until the authorities apprehend the driver of Brandon’s hit-and-run.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the driver. Brandon’s neighbors have chipped in another $4,000.

On Dec. 19, about 5:50 p.m. Brandon was on his way to a store in Lake Manor, an unincorporated community in the northwest corner of the San Fernando Valley, when a dark-colored, older-model Honda heading east on Lake Manor Drive struck him, according to residents and the California Highway Patrol.

The car did not appear to be exceeding the posted 35-mph limit, a witness told the CHP. But the driver fled, making it a felony.

The CHP was aware of community complaints about the street and reckless drivers, said Officer Leland Tang. However, there were only five reported accidents on that stretch of road last year, including the one involving Brandon. Nearby Topanga Canyon Boulevard, a busy thoroughfare, might have that many accidents in a single day.

“It’s a tragic accident,” the CHP spokesman said, “but we have to use our resources wisely.”

Tang said Brandon’s injuries might not have been as severe had he been wearing a helmet, as mandated by state law for all children who ride bicycles or scooters. The CHP has no plans to cite Brandon.

The boy’s mother, Kathleen Martin, acknowledged that her son was not wearing a helmet but said that even if he had been he could have suffered neck injuries.

She and other community members contend that the posted speed limit is too fast for the neighborhood.

“We’re just inundated with traffic,” Martin said. “We’re in fear of our lives walking in our own streets.”

Some measure of relief might come soon. Today, Antonovich plans to introduce a motion at the Board of Supervisors meeting directing the Department of Public Works to install a stop sign and warning lights near the crosswalk where Brandon was hit. He also plans to ask for more streetlights to brighten that stretch of road, which can get very dark at night, said Antonovich’s spokesman, Tony Bell.

“These improvements will ... hopefully prevent other tragedies,” Bell said.

But residents wish the county had acted sooner. “In the last 10 years, there must have been 20 to 30 petitions wanting a stop sign,” Hurley said.

Martin was recently told by doctors that even if Brandon recovers, he probably will have to relearn how to talk, and wear a shunt in his head.

She remains angry that it took her son’s accident to get the county to take action. “We’ve just basically got nothing but rhetoric

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the CHP at (818) 888-0980.