The family of a La Puente grandmother who died in May when a Hacienda La Puente Unified School District bus hit her while she was walking in a crosswalk has filed a lawsuit against the district and the bus driver, alleging negligence resulting in her death.
A daughter of Blanca Arcelia Guerrero, 76, said her mother died instantly when the bus struck her at the intersection of Unruh and Fairgrove avenues in the afternoon of Monday, May 8.
Guerrero was headed northbound on Unruh at around 2:20 p.m. that day, walking away from the senior apartment complex where she was living, police said at the time. The bus, headed westbound on Fairgrove, did not appear to stop as it rolled through the intersection.
“She didn’t see it coming,” said Yvonne Torres, 42, one of Guerrero’s six adult children. “She just was hit — I don’t think she even knew what hit her.”
Torres and her other siblings filed their lawsuit alleging wrongful death in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 25. They’re seeking general damages over the loss their mother, to cover her funeral expenses and their attorney’s fees.
In a statement, the school district said it was aware of the lawsuit but would not comment pending the outcome of a continuing police investigation into the crash.
Torres said residents her siblings spoke with in the area said the five-point intersection is known for being dangerous, with constant, heavy traffic.
She said among the witness to the crash were a team of firefighters, who were on hand almost immediately. They had seen her walk in front of their truck waiting at a traffic light in the intersection. Then they heard the crash and jumped out to treat her. But she was already dead.
“Even a strong man, with that impact, they couldn’t have survived,” Torres said.
Said her mother was a strong woman who also was extremely cautious — Torres said she taught her grandchildren to look both ways when crossing a road. She was an avid walker, and was still healthy and active even at 76 years old.
Torres said her mother immigrated from Mexico as a young woman in search of better-paying jobs. She said Guerrero had retired after a lifetime of hard work as a factory worker, then as an apartment manager around Southern California. She said her mother had only been living at the La Puente senior home for about a year before she died. Before that, her job had taken her to East L.A., Altadena, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton before she retired.
She said despite not having a lot of money, Guerrero often doted on her 10 grandchildren.
“She was happy. She loved being a grandma,” Torres said. “Even though she was low in income, what was left would always go to her grandkids…if she bought a gift for one, she would buy nine more for the others, too.”
Torres said around 400 people attended Guerrero’s funeral, including many extended family and friends, half who appeared in person and the rest over video.
She said the family was still devastated by Guerrero’s death.
“I understand that that one day your parents are going to pass. Sometimes you get to be prepared a little bit. But until it happens, you’re still not prepared,” Torres said. “But when you’re left like this, you don’t get to say goodbye. You don’t get to tell them, ‘We’re going to be OK and that we love you.’”
