The sound was so jarring that some people along the gritty stretch of West Capitol Avenue assumed two cars had collided.

Residents rushed out of their mobile homes and motel rooms Tuesday night to find a gruesome scene: a man’s body severed at the torso, his clothing strewn about the roadway and a shaken West Sacramento police officer emerging from a patrol car with a shattered windshield.

“It’s terrible,” said Guillermina Zamora, 43, as she reflected Wednesday on the previous night. “Everybody here is in shock.”

West Sacramento police say one of their officers was on his way to join a vehicle pursuit, his lights flashing and sirens blaring, when he struck a pedestrian crossing the street.

The force of the impact was so great that the man’s torso went through the officer’s windshield, according to witnesses. His legs were found in the middle of West Capitol Avenue, just east of Pine Street.

The Yolo County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 31-year-old Brandon Louis Nickolas and described him as a local transient.

Many complained the area is dangerously dark at night and lacks crosswalks – Nickolas was jaywalking when he was struck.

The 17-year-old youth who was the focus of the police pursuit that night – he allegedly was driving a stolen vehicle and failed to yield to officers – is being held at Yolo County juvenile hall. Because he is accused of launching the events that led to Nickolas’ death, West Sacramento police booked the teen on suspicion of murder, as well as car theft charges.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven said his office had not yet decided whether to file a murder charge or whether to prosecute the teen as an adult. Those decisions are expected today, Raven said.

The officer involved is a six-year veteran of the force, said Lt. Tod Sockman, a police spokesman. As is standard protocol, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal review and a criminal investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

Sockman said it was too early to know whether the officer acted in accordance with department policy. “I can’t comment on whether he did anything right or wrong,” he said. “That’s all going to be pending investigation.”

Javier Hernandez, 17, said he came out of his mobile home and saw a police officer staggering from his patrol car. Hernandez said he and another person tried to steady the officer, asking if he was all right. It wasn’t until Hernandez turned his head that he saw the victim’s torso in the front seat of the patrol car.

The officer was taken to the hospital but was not seriously injured, according to news reports.

Some residents ( of the mobile home park) had mixed feelings about who, if anybody, was to blame for Nickolas’ death. “I think it’s wrong,” said Amanda Huwa of the potential for the 17-year-old to face a murder charge. “Whoever hit (the victim) should get charged.”

If prosecutors pursue a murder charge against the teen, it likely would be under the auspices of the “felony murder rule.” That legal principle allows prosecutors to file murder charges against a person who commits a felony that leads to a death, such as a robbery gone awry.

Ruth Jones, a professor at Sacramento’s McGeorge School of Law, said the felony murder rule typically is applied when the defendant is physically responsible for the death – say, a suspect who strikes and kills a pedestrian while fleeing police.

“I would say this is not the classic felony murder case,” Jones said.

Jones said the officer involved likely would not be criminally liable as long as his actions are deemed “reasonable” based on the circumstances. “If the officer was appropriately engaged in the performance of his duty, then there probably wouldn’t be any criminal liability,” she said.

“Police have the ability to do more than citizens,” she added, including speeding to apprehend a criminal.

Vehicle pursuits have long been the subject of debate in law enforcement circles because of the inherent danger to bystanders as well as officers themselves.

The West Sacramento Police Department’s vehicle pursuit policy acknowledges the dilemma: “The primary purpose of this policy is to provide officers with guidance in balancing the safety of the public and themselves against law enforcement’s duty to apprehend violators of the law.”

Some agencies have grown more conservative, adopting more restrictive policies or more frequently canceling pursuits except in the most egregious of cases. Still, they are not uncommon. Sacramento police officers have been involved in more than 100 pursuits so far this year, according to that agency; Sacramento County sheriff’s officials estimate deputies engage in as many as six pursuits a week.

Those who live near the site of Tuesday’s accident say they frequently see cars – police and otherwise – speeding down the road, a four-lane stretch with just gravel and dirt shoulders for sidewalks.

Neighbors expressed concern that the area has few streetlights and no crosswalks, despite foot traffic between two bus stops on opposite sides of the street.

Hernandez said there are many children in the area, some of whom dart out into the street in pursuit of stray s0ccer balls.

“It’s not the first time,” he said of collisions in the area. “And it won’t be the last time.”

Cause of the Sacramento Crash

While this devastating Sacramento accident remains under investigation, the family members of those accident victims who were seriously injured would be well-advised to speak with an understanding and knowledgeable Sacramento  wrongful death lawyer. An attorney such as Gary A. Kessler who has successfully handled serious injury accidents can advise the victim’s family of their legal rights to hold the driver accountable and best course of action should they wish to pursue a personal injury claim.

A traffic accident killed an Eastvale pedestrian in a wheelchair, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said.

The crash was reported at 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at Hamner and Limonite Avenues, a busy intersection bordered by three shopping centers and an open field about a half-mile west of Interstate 15. The intersection was still closed at 1:30 p.m. as deputies continued to investigate.

The man suffered head injuries and died at a hospital, deputies said. His red, battery-powered wheelchair was demolished in the collision with a Hyundai Azera that sustained major damage to its front bumper, grill and hood.

The car was traveling east on Limonite, and the victim was crossing south across Hamner, said Sgt. James Woodland. The motorist stopped after the accident and was not ticketed or arrested, Woodward said several hours after the incident.

Riverside County coroner’s officials have released no information about the victim or the incident. But employees at the nearby Eastvale Gateway shopping center described him as a middle-aged man with a cheery disposition.

“He was a regular here,” said security guard David Lee. “A very positive individual. Always smiling.”

Though deputies say the victim was alone, shopping center employees say he occasionally was accompanied by a younger man they thought was a son or friend.

“I just saw him last Friday evening,” recalled supermarket worker Dana Blackburn. “He was getting a tall can of beer.

“He was always upbeat. He always had a smile on his face, except in the hot weather. To me, he was a cool person. It’s sad.”

Blackburn, a bicyclist, said that intersection can be dangerous because some motorists don’t drive slowly enough or with enough caution.

“What’s the world coming to,” Blackburn wondered aloud, “when you can’t (safely) cross the street.

Cause of the Riverside County Crash

While this devastating Riverside County accident remains under investigation, the family members of those accident victims who were seriously injured would be well-advised to speak with an understanding and knowledgeable Riverside County wrongful death lawyer. An attorney such as Gary A. Kessler who has successfully handled serious injury accidents can advise the victim’s family of their legal rights to hold the driver accountable and best course of action should they wish to pursue a personal injury claim.

A pedestrian who was hit and killed by a taxi driver in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district was identified Monday as 38-year-old Edmund Capalla, authorities said.

Capalla was crossing the street at Eddy and Larkin streets just before 7 p.m. Saturday when a taxi ran a red light and was struck by a car entering the intersection, said police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza.

The collision caused the taxi to spin out and hit Capalla as he crossed the street, Esparza said.

Capalla, whose address was not available, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where he died of his injuries. Police are continuing their investigation and will pass the results on to the District Attorney’s office which will decide what charges, if any, will be filed against the cab driver, Esparza said.

Cause of the Tenderloin Crash

While this devastating San Francisco accident remains under investigation, the family members of those accident victims who were seriously injured would be well-advised to speak with an understanding and knowledgeable San Francisco wrongful death lawyer. An attorney such as Gary A. Kessler who has successfully handled serious injury accidents can advise the victim’s family of their legal rights to hold the driver accountable and best course of action should they wish to pursue a personal injury claim.

A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer struck and killed a 43-year-old woman who ran across traffic lanes into his path in West Oakland late Friday night, the state agency said.

The woman, a Hayward resident who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital in Oakland. The officer, 51-year-old Roberto Barrera, was treated for moderate injuries at the same hospital and later released, CHP officials said.

Investigators said the collision happened at 10:04 p.m., as the on-duty Barrera drove his 2004 BMW motorcycle west on five-lane West MacArthur Boulevard. Barrera was said to be in the left of the three westbound lanes.

The woman ran from the north sidewalk just west of Market Street – to the officer’s right – and into his path. Both were thrown to the pavement. The CHP and the Oakland Police Department are investigating the crash.

Cause of the Oakland Crash

While this devastating Alameda County accident remains under investigation, the family members of those accident victims who were seriously injured would be well-advised to speak with an understanding and knowledgeable Alameda County wrongful death lawyer. An attorney such as Gary A. Kessler who has successfully handled serious injury accidents can advise the victim’s family of their legal rights to hold the driver accountable and best course of action should they wish to pursue a personal injury claim.