A new traffic light was installed at a Boyle Heights intersection where a teen lost a leg following a hit-and-run motorcycle incident last year.
On March 30, 2023, Joshua Mora, a 13-year-old Hollenbeck Middle School student at the time, was crossing the street at a marked crosswalk on Whittier Boulevard and Orme Avenue when a motorcyclist struck him. The motorcycle rider returned to his bike and left the scene without identifying himself or rendering aid. The driver was later arrested and charged with a felony hit-and-run.
Mora’s injuries led to the amputation of one of his legs. The incident sparked protests from community members and organizations including Safe Streets for Everyone (SAFE), calling for the city to make the intersection safer for pedestrians.
On Friday, Mora joined city officials at the unveiling of a new flashing light crosswalk installed at the intersection more than a year since the incident.
The High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK), which has been in operation since mid-October, is a $250,000 project funded by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and StreetsLA, a section of the Department of Public Works that focuses on the city’s street network. The traffic light flashes yellow when a person presses a button to cross and then turns red for drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
“The new HAWK pedestrian light is more than just a piece of infrastructure; it’s a lifeline for the families, students and elders who cross these streets every day,” said Councilmember Kevin de León in a statement.
Incidents like Mora’s are why pedestrian safety has become a growing concern for many residents of Boyle Heights and other L.A. neighborhoods.
In 2023, 336 people were killed in traffic collisions – 179 of them pedestrians. According to the L.A. Times, that’s the highest number recorded since the city started keeping track of the numbers.
Among 114 L.A. neighborhoods, Boyle Heights ranks 11th in pedestrian fatalities, according to the nonprofit newsroom Crosstown, which reviewed data from the last five years. Downtown L.A., an area also in Council District 14, topped the list.
A SAFE study found those most affected by traffic incidents are the most vulnerable: pedestrians aged 29 and younger, like Mora, and seniors aged 50 and older. The statistics are even higher in lower-income, marginalized communities, the nonprofit found.
In 2022, motor vehicle crashes emerged as the leading cause of death for young people up to 29 years old in L.A. County, highlighting a pressing safety concern on the county’s roads, according to the Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology of the County of Los Angeles Public Health.
