CLOVIS, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — “It’s been 131 days since my son has died. They say things get easier over time but let me assure you nothing is easy after you bury your child,” said Cathie Bailey.
Bailey is the mother of 25-year-old crash victim, Kaiden Bailey. She was one of several in attendance for the roundtable discussion of how to prevent fatal crashes in the city of Clovis on Monday night.
In July, Kaiden was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Fowler and Perrin. Bailey says when her son was hit by a driver, he was thrown 125 feet and skid another 60.
“The minimum of ten people that witnessed this collision all left the scene, not one single person called 9-1-1. Including the driver that hit him. My son was still alive at this point, but everyone left him there to suffer,” said Bailey.
Just days after Bailey tragically died, 16-year-old Sandro Lazo was riding his bike, less than a mile from home, when he was hit by a driver at the same intersection.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said the driver didn’t have a stop sign where he struck Lazo.
Lazo’s father, William, says he’s frustrated that no progress has been made in installing a traffic signal at the intersection.
“It’s been a difficult four months. We are trying to hold each other up,” said William Lazo.
Fresno County Board of Supervisor Nathan Magsig said as the city of Clovis continues to grow, more needs to be done to roadways.
“There does need to be more coordination as roads are being closed in the city and new routes are being created, new traffic patterns being created to make sure traffic travels at appropriate speeds,” said Magsig.
Lazo said he doesn’t want his son to die in vain.
“We’ll never stop thinking about him. That we will love him forever. That he’ll be forever in our hearts, and we’ll always be proud of him,” said Lazo.
Lazo said they have more than 2,300 signatures on Change.org petition to install a traffic signal at the intersection.
