Pinay Dies in U.S. Hit by 6 Vehicles

 A 73-year-old Filipina caregiver was killed after she was struck by several vehicles on the Pacific Coast Highway while attempting to cross a dark street to catch a bus on Monday morning.

Amelia Ordona died on the spot when a 2006 Honda Accord driven by Jay McNamara, 48, of Los Angeles, hit her as she tried to cross the busy Winding Way at 6:15 am.

The impact was so strong that the victim was thrown onto the other side of the road where she was hit again by six to seven other vehicles, some of which kept going, according to the Sheriff’s department.

Ordona’s 67-year-old sister, Amparo Pabalan, who was with Amelia at that time, was also hit but only sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

Ordona and Pabalan live in Westlake, Los Angeles near downtown.

Pabalan said they had just finished their shifts as caregivers and were walking to their bus stop at Paradise Cover and Pacific Coast Highway to take them back to their home.

It was their first time to cross Pacific Coast Highway near Winding Way, she said.

In the meantime, family members expressed a mixed feeling of grief and rage as police expressed no intent to conduct any arrest in connection with the incident.

On late Monday afternoon, Sheriff's Lt. Scott Chew of the Malibu-Lost Hills Station said there “won’t be any arrests."

“McNamara did not see the two women he hit until it was too late because of their dark clothing, poor lighting, and roadway conditions," Chew said.

“The person who initially hit her stopped. The feeling is that after the driver hit her and she was launched into lanes going the opposite direction, a couple of those people stopped. And it's somewhat debatable that the others who went on understood what was going on," he continued.

Chew said detectives would like to talk to the drivers who hit her and didn't stop, but it's not expected any criminal charges will be filed. "It was an accident," he said, "not a hit and run."

The victims’ families, on the other hand, said the sheriff’s statement “is unacceptable."

“I can not accept what they said," Ordona’s brother, Rolando, said. “When you are driving you must be aware of your surroundings whatever time of the day would it be."

“It seems they’re telling us now that my sister is responsible for her own death," he added.

Pacific Coast Highway was later closed between Kanan Dume Road and Malibu Canyon Road for about six hours while an investigation was conducted. The roadway was reopened about noon, according to a deputy at the station.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Posted in: Pinay Dies in U.S. Hit by 6 Vehicles