Authorities sought public help today to find the hit- and-run motorist responsible for the death of a 14-year-old Industry boy who was fatally injured while skateboarding in Montebello.Are you asking the same obvious questions I am? How about these:
The teen was struck by an SUV about 12:45 a.m. Saturday on Montebello Boulevard near Jefferson Boulevard, said Montebello police Cpl. Gus Cisneros.
He was identified as Justin William Carrasco, said Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter.
The hit-and-run vehicle was described as an early 2000 model SUV similar to a Ford Explorer, with four doors and tinted windows. It was dark in color, possibly charcoal-gray. The SUV, which sustained front-end damage, apparently was equipped with fog lights and a spoiler kit. The license number is unknown.
"The roadway where the collision took place is a heavily traveled area and other motorists may have witnessed the collision or the suspect vehicle fleeing the scene," Cisneros said.
- What's a 14-year old boy doing out at 12:45 in the morning?
- What gave him the notion that it's a good idea to skateboard down the middle of a busy street...in the middle of the night?
- Who is really more responsible for his death, the driver who fled the scene or the kid riding his skateboard in the middle of the street?
If there's a victim in this case, it's likely the driver. Without question he (or she) should have stayed at the scene, and assuming he wasn't drunk or otherwise impaired, he probably wouldn't be facing any charges at all. It seems pretty clear that the skateboarder was responsible for placing himself in harm's way. But, because there was a death involved, the hit-and-run becomes a serious felony.
It's a sad story for all involved and one that never needed to happen. It's hard to say who was more out-of-control, the driver or the kid. And so far, I've seen coverage of the story on more than one network and nobody has bothered to ask obvious question #1.
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