Pedestrian May Not Have Been in WeHo Crosswalk When a Car Hit and Killed Him

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pedestrian crosswalk, pedestrian death, santa monica boulevard, hancock avenue
Scene of an accident last night in which a pedestrian was killed by a car while crossing Santa Monica Boulevard at Hancock. (Photo courtesy of Sergio Davila)

The man who was killed last night while walking across Santa Monica Boulevard near Hancock Avenue may not have been in a pedestrian crosswalk when he was hit by a car.

While the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station has said that Clinton Bounds was hit by the car while in the crosswalk, several people who either observed the accident as it happened or came across Bounds’ body shortly after have told WEHOville that Bounds wasn’t in the crosswalk when the car hit him at around 11 p.m.

A man who last night was at Gym Bar, on the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Hancock, this evening told WEHOville that he saw the car hit Bounds.

“As soon as I heard the impact, I saw him just launch in the air, do a little bit of the spiral and land on the ground,” said the man, who asked not to be identified by name. WEHOville agreed to let the man speak without naming him after he explained that his presence at Gym Bar and comments about the accident might cause him problems with his employer. The man said he knew Bounds and had spoken to him earlier. He said Bounds was headed south across Santa Monica Boulevard and not using the crosswalk when he was hit by a car.

Another WEHOville source said he saw Bounds’ body on the pavement immediately after the accident and that Bounds was a hundred or more feet east of the crosswalk. A photo taken of the accident scene by a resident of the nearby Hancock Loft apartments, posted above, shows Bounds’ body on the pavement well east of the crosswalk, which is indicated by a pedestrian crosswalk sign in the lower right corner of that photo.

Whether Bounds actually was in the crosswalk when he was hit is likely to become an important factor in the increasingly heated debate over whether the city is acting quickly enough to improve safety in pedestrian crosswalks.

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Cross Safe WeHo, an activist group organized after a man was injured while in a crosswalk on Santa Monica Boulevard near Westmount, has announced a demonstration at the Hancock Avenue crosswalk for tomorrow.

“Tomorrow we march in honor of Clinton Bounds,” reads a post on the group’s Facebook page. “Ron Davis has organized a crosswalk sit-in, stand-up, scream out loud at 6 p.m. at the Hancock and Santa Monica Intersection. While I’m urging a peaceful protest many people are too angry and want to just sit down in the crosswalk. ”

Larry Block, one of the leaders of a citizens campaign to improve safety in the city’s pedestrian crosswalks, complained that the city wasn’t acting fast enough. “At the Public Safety (Commission) meeting, I said if another guy gets hit at a crosswalk the city will be liable because they knew that these crosswalks were dangerous,” Block said. “They allocated the money for the lights and the requests for proposals for lights have been sitting on a desk since last February.”

Block, who helped found Cross Safe WeHo, is referring to a vote by the City Council in February to authorize the city to seek bids to install flashing lights at the Hancock Avenue crosswalk and also on San Vicente Boulevard in front of the West Hollywood Library. Flashing lights already have been installed at three other locations: Santa Monica Boulevard at Westmount Drive and Orange Grove Avenue and Crescent Heights Boulevard at Norton Avenue.

During the February Council meeting, City Engineer Sharon Perlstein said it could take as long as six months before the crosswalk lights were installed.

“We’ll have to study the lighting at the intersections before it goes out to bid,” Perlstein told WEHOville. “That could take a month or two.”

Block said he has been told that the request for bids has not yet been released. City staffers have explained the delay by saying they are still studying various options for improving crosswalk safety. Block has argued that the city should install its special events flashing warning lights near crosswalks until it is able to install permanent flashing lights.

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Tom Smart
Tom Smart
10 years ago

The turnout at the memorial for Clint at Mikey’s was amazing and showed how many people loved and cared about him. I’m not sure HE even knew this many cared. RIP Clint

bigsis101
bigsis101
10 years ago

Clinton, your big sister here. It doesn’t matter how the accident happen. I love you and I will miss you every day from now on.

Careful Driver
Careful Driver
10 years ago

wehoenthusiast, I feel so badly for those of you who have lost a dear friend, and of course for your friend, too. Hopefully after a full review is made, the truth of the circumstances will be understood and shared with the public. I think we would all like for that to happen, and in fact, deserve for that to happen. I hope that the City realizes that more lighting is needed, and also that barriers to visibility (shrubbery, etc.) at the curb need to be removed so that drivers can see people when they are APPROACHING a crosswalk, before they… Read more »

wehoenthusiast
wehoenthusiast
10 years ago

i attended my friend’s memorial tonight. Finally I can let him go spiritually but can’t seem to make sense of the circumstances. The P.O.V. from gym bar isn’t consistent with having a view of Clint crossing not at the crosswalk, and why anonymity? Are they feeling responsible for him drinking (the bar)? By everyone I spoke with he was on his way home, and knowing him for 20 years he liked to say goodnight to everyone on his way home. Why would he not cross at the cross walk it was closer. Could his body have been flown or dragged… Read more »

kab1200
kab1200
10 years ago
Reply to  wehoenthusiast

Look, let’s face it, Clinton was probably somewhat tipsy by that time, and he chose the wrong place to try to cross Santa Monica Blvd, probably to get on the Pick up bus. Stop finger pointing people! Perhaps no one is at fault, or everyone is at fault. It is a tragic accident, and I find it funny how everyone becomes a lynch mob when something happens and they don’t have all the answers. Stop assuming things and the facts will be revealed in due time. Suddenly, Weho is a horrible and unsafe place to life and walk, even in… Read more »

Da
Da
10 years ago

I hope this gentleman was not in the crosswalk, at least the person driving the car was not in the wrong and has to live with that on top of what happened, but, still, you take your life in your hands when you use the crosswalks on SMB. Sheriff’s Station needs to step it up.

Gerard thai
Gerard thai
10 years ago

All these comments are about CROSSWALK, CROSSWALK, MONEY ALLOCATED TO LIGHTED CROSSWALK, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT CROSSWALK. Though I’m very sad this person was struck and killed, he wasn’t at the crosswalk. People have a tendency to run across the blvd thinking traffic will stop for them anywhere. just a few years ago, I struck one of those pedestrians in front of Koontz while traveling Westbound on Santa Monica on my motorcycle at 25mph. Not only did I injure the person I hit but the when I hit her, she ended up damaging two cars as well. Turns out, she ran… Read more »

Jay A Bomberger (@jayboy3775)

As a Lyft driver, I’m driving through those crosswalks many times a night and I have seen it all. A good portion of the pedestrians do not just cross with a sense of entitlement, they are just plain cocky. Mind you, I’m sober yet many drivers during the late hours are at least a wee bit tipsy and many are just plain drunk. I’ve suggested by tweet (and it was re-tweeted by the mayor) that blinking lights alone don’t help, we need better lighting. Why not flood the crosswalks with super bright LED (low energy consumption)? Dark clothing won’t matter… Read more »

WeHo Resident
WeHo Resident
10 years ago

common sense, you clearly don’t walk enough around our city if that’s the case. I see people nearly get hit ALL the time. I’m extremely careful. I only haven’t been hit because of extreme caution. I have had cars actually swerve around the car stopped in the lane closest to the sidewalk so that they could get around (so I’m stopped in the middle of the street so they can swerve by). Drivers speed through the area with impunity and fail to yield. As far as “sense of entitlement” that’s pointless: Pedestrians legally are entitled. Drivers are required to yield… Read more »

Christopher Roth
Christopher Roth
10 years ago

If anyone from the City is reading this, please know that you should also consider the possibility of removing one parking space before or after the crosswalk. Example at 7328 Santa Monica Blvd. driving westbound you cannot see the people waiting to cross because the car in the parking space blocks the view. if someone steps out into the street especially at night it’s a problem.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.090762,-118.349615,3a,75y,356.28h,81.29t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sk7ui2YT6LAYjeMwiRHG0DQ!2e0!6m1!1e1

Chris Sanger
Chris Sanger
10 years ago

The problem with the Sunset ones west of Sunset Plaza is that at times of the day (late afternoon/early evening) it is really rough to see clearly with the light glaring at you. I always worry about not seeing a pedestrian there even though I am aware and usually slow down irrespective of any signs of people. Those are tough ones.

JJ
JJ
10 years ago

@ common sense…it’s unfortunate that there are those that have none..common sense that is. It’s just something else the government is asked to take on as their responsibility because people don’t have any of their own..personal responsibility that is.

wehoenthusiast
wehoenthusiast
10 years ago

I will say that people need to be more cautious as a pedestrian like don’t just walk out while a car is going 30mph five feet away., But unfortunately everyone is in such a hurry. Even lights in the middle of the street would be better than nothing. Clint was pretty careful with lighted intersections, used to walk with him and he’d hold me back for jerks making a quick right at San Vicente right as it turned red. Regardless if he was in the crosswalk I don’t know, the crosswalks are dangerous period, Even in the middle its hard… Read more »