Southern California Accident News

Capitola: Skateboarder Struck, Killed Maryann Slettehaugh

At around 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5^th, a 17-year-old skateboarder struck and killed 83-year-old Maryann Slettehaugh in Capitola. The teenager was riding from Cliff Drive to the Stockton Avenue Bridge and Capitola Village when he rolled through a stop sign at Cliff Drive and Wharf Road at about 15 to 20 mph, striking Slettehaugh, who was crossing the street at the time. She was transported to a local hospital, where she died that night. Although it is illegal to skateboard in Capitola starting at Wharf Road, the skateboarder was not arrested, explains a California personal injury lawyer. The accident is under investigation, and police have asked anyone with information to call 831-475-4242 or 831-475-2791.

Santa Cruz County accounted for 121 of the fatal and injury pedestrian accidents that occurred in the state in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. The OTS compares the traffic safety records of cities and counties with similarly sized populations, giving those with the highest number of victims or collisions per 1000 residents in a population group the highest ranking, which is 1. That year, Santa Cruz ranked 5^th out 58 counties with similar populations.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Maryann Slettehaugh, the woman who was struck and killed by the skateboarder last Tuesday.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel originally reported this pedestrian accident. 

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as links to pedestrian advocacy groups and books and articles on the injury and wrongful death claims process, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to speak with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596. 

Read More About Capitola: Skateboarder Struck, Killed Maryann Slettehaugh...

back to top