Community calls for intersection safety after 13-year-old boy is killed by car in LA

Local activists and community members gathered Thursday to call for safety improvements at a Los Angeles intersection where a 13-year-old boy was struck and killed by a car while walking home from school. 

Two weeks ago, Derick Serrano was killed by a vehicle at the intersection of Wadsworth and East Vernon avenues near Florence. The boy was walking home from George Washington Carver Middle School. 

"It is very tough not seeing him anymore," Derick's mother said through tears Thursday. 

Derick's mother and community advocates held a news conference to call for safety improvements at the intersection. They say the intersection currently has no crosswalk, crossing guard, signal light or signage. 

"I am outraged," said Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the ACCE LA office. "These are my neighbors. It's my family. It could've been my daughter." 

Activists want the city to install a crosswalk and traffic signal, and want a crossing guard assigned during school hours. 

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation put out a statement through Spokesperson Colin Sweeney that said: 

LADOT joins the community in mourning the tragic death of Derick Serrano, a student at George Washington Carver Middle School. LADOT is working closely with LAUSD, George Washington Carver Middle School, LAPD, the council office and the surrounding community to identify ways to make it safer for students to get to and from school. We are committed to improving traffic safety by prioritizing reduced speed limits, speed humps, and other traffic calming measures at schools across the city.