Bowen Du, 20, of Arcadia, was sentenced to 1 year in jail in the crosswalk death of Arcadia teen Alice Zhang. The incident occurred in April as Alice and her friend Priyanka Patel crossed the street at the 600 block of West Duarte Road in Arcadia.
Bowen Du, 19, of Arcadia, has taken a plea deal in the death of Arcadia teen Alice Zhang. He has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors--vehicular manslaughter with simple negligence and reckless driving causing injury. Du faces a maximum of 18 months in jail when he is sentenced on December 20.
Bowen Du, 19, an Arcadia man who was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang, has pleaded not guilty. Du faces up to 6 years in state prison for vehicular manslaughter and up to 3 more years for causing serious injury to Zhang's friend Priyanka Patel, 16, of Upland.
Priyanka Patel, 17, of Upland, was seriously injured and her friend, Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, was killed, when they were hit by a car driven by Bowen Du, in the crosswalk in the 600 block of West Duarte Road. Patel is suing the City of Arcadia and the driver, citing negligence and dangerous conditions. She is suing for more than $25,000 in damages. The teen has incurred nearly $200,000 in medical expenses so far.
Bowen Du, the driver, who struck and Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, as she walked across the 600 block of Duarte Road, will face the felony charge of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison. His arraignment is scheduled for August 11, 2011 in Pasadena Superior Court.
As part of a continuing investigation into a crash that killed Arcadia teen Alice Zhang and badly injured her friend Priyanka Patel, city officials will return to the site of the fatal accident to re-create the scene tomorrow. City officials will block off the 600 block of West Duarte Road between Baldwin Avenue and Lovell Avenue, from 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm, as Arcadia Police examine the crosswalk.
Experts who have analyzed the crash that killed Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, say that Bowen Du, the driver, did not have enough time to react to avoid the fatal accident. This report given by Du's attorney failed to address how or why Du failed to stop after other cars had stopped at the crosswalk, which is required by California Vehicle Code.
Yongjian "Richard" Zhang and Ruixia "Nancy" Zhang, the parents of Alice Zhang, have filed a lawsuit against the City of Arcadia and the driver who struck and killed Alice. The lawsuit, filed in August, alleges that "the dangerous condition" of the crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road was a significant factor in Alice's death. The Zhangs are asking for unspecified general and special damages. The complaint also alleges that driver Bowen Du's negligence was a "substantial factor" in the teen's death.
The parents of Alice Zhang have filed a $5 million claim against the city of Arcadia, arguing the "dangerous" crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road should have been changed long ago. Alice Zhang was a pedestrian hit by a car there, driven by Bowen Du, and was killed. The parents are Ruixia "Nancy" Liang and Yongjian "Richard" Zhang. The crosswalk "has been known to be dangerous for a long time," said attorney David Casselman, who is representing the parents. The city reacted by putting in an experimental crossing signal (flashing yellow lights) that proved insufficient.
Bowen Du, 19, a Pasadena City College student, was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang on April 10. In court, he said he was sorry and did not mean to do it. He was a graduate of Arcadia High School in 2010 and a private first class in the U.S. Army Reserve. His arraignment was continued until June 28. Du has no prior criminal record. Arcadia police have said the car's windshield was "excessively dirty" and that "this vision obstruction, combined with the setting sun at the time of the collision, played a major role in the cause of the collision." Du was driving about 30 mph when he struck Zhang and her friend on the 600 block of West Duarte Road.
Arcadia police investigators have completed an inquiry into the April 10 crash, in the 600 block of West Duarte Road, that killed 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang. Detective Michael Hale said the driver was negligent in driving a car with a dirty windshield that blinded him as he drove toward a setting sun. Arcadia officials are recommending the driver of the 1997 Lexus sedan that struck Alice Zhang and her friend who survived, be charged with vehicular manslaughter, but the District Attorney's office will review the case and decide on whether to prosecute the driver and on what grounds.
Obituary/death notice. Alice Zhang, an Arcadia High School student, was struck and killed by a car driven by a 20 year-old in the 600 block of Duarte Road. Her 16 year-old friend from Upland was seriously injured.
The California Second District Court of Appeals rejected Mulji Patel's claim that the restitution awarded to Erwin Nepomuceno for $20,250 in lost earnings was excessive. Patel was convicted in March 2009 on two counts of assaults with a deadly weapon for the January 31, 2006 attack on Nepomuceno, a workers' compensation attorney. Patel was a Rockwell International employee and a jury found him sane at the time. Patel was sentenced in May 2009 to 12 years in state prison.
Motorcyclist Kenneth Doherty, 32, of Los Angeles, died from a hit-and-run collision with a car, described as an electric blue Mitsubishi. The driver of the car left the scene.
Governor Brown appoints Arcadia man Raj Patel, 54, to the California Building Standards Commission, where he has served since 2015. The position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.
Several Arcadia High School students implored Arcadia City Council to consider making changes to a crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road, where 11th grader Alice Zhang was struck and killed last month by a car. The students are members of the For Alice Movement and are pushing for changes to the pedestrian crossing. They argued that the crossing is problematic since cars often fail to stop there, even after pedestrians activate the flashing warning light system. The students asked the council to consider either removing the crosswalk, installing a traffic light at the crosswalk, which would turn yellow and then red only when activated by a pedestrian, or removing the crosswalk and installing a flashing pedestrian system at an existing crosswalk 400 feet east of Lovell Avenue. City Engineer Phil Wray said the pros and cons for each viable option need to be studied.