A 74-year-old Canyon Country man, who failed to stop at a red light and killed a teenage skateboarder in a marked crosswalk in Santa Clarita, was sentenced Monday to 60 days in jail and three years probation.
Ralph August Steger pleaded no contest last month to a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter and two infractions: unsafe speed and failure to stop at a red light.
Wyatt Savaikie was crossing the street on a skateboard in a crosswalk near Bouquet Canyon and Seco Canyon roads the afternoon of July 16, 2015, when Steger went through the light and struck the 14-year-old boy.
The teen, who lived in the Santa Clarita neighborhood of Saugus, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The family filed a civil suit against Seger earlier this year, also naming state, county and local entities as co-defendants potentially responsible for what they claimed was a dangerous roadway. The suit alleges that a utility pole obstructs motorists’ view of the crosswalk and also named Southern California Edison as a co-defendant.
–City News Service