An 82-year-old woman remains in critical condition after a vehicle struck her while she was walking through a crosswalk at Wilshire Boulevard and 5th Street in Santa Monica on Thursday evening. The driver stayed on scene to cooperate with officers, and police say the investigation into exactly how the crash unfolded is still underway.
According to Canyon News, the Santa Monica Police Department said officers responded around 5:47 p.m. on September 24 to reports of a traffic collision at the intersection, one of the busiest crossing points in the city's downtown core. Initial findings indicate the woman was walking south through the crosswalk on the intersection's eastern side when a vehicle turning left from southbound 5th Street onto eastbound Wilshire Boulevard struck her.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene and transported the woman to a local hospital for treatment, per the same account. She was described as being in critical condition following the crash, and the driver remained at the scene to assist responding police officers rather than leaving before authorities arrived.
Names Withheld As Investigation Continues
As of Friday, the police department had not released the names of either the pedestrian or the driver involved, the station's report notes. Officials said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional details would be shared with the public once they are confirmed and available, though no timeline was given for when that information might surface.
The crash adds to a long history of safety concerns along the Wilshire Boulevard corridor. A city-commissioned Wilshire Boulevard safety study prepared for the City of Santa Monica references the Wilshire and 5th Street intersection in its crash analysis covering January 2015 through December 2017.
For now, the extent of the woman's injuries and the ultimate findings of the police investigation remain unknown. Hoodline will update this story as Santa Monica police release additional information.
