Oh, no. I know this team. Aki was truly devoted to Diane. Aki would have walked through fire to find Diane. How sad that they were separated at such a traumatic time. Aren't there any protocols for emergency responders to keep service dogs with their owners?  

Yes, we need a crosswalk!  It's scary dodging traffic on Valley and sometimes you have to wait a long time before it clears up enough to cross.  Everytime I walk down that way, I see several other people doing the same.  Many of them, like me, have children with them.  And without sidewalks, the crossings at Tucker and at Curry are inaccessible.  I feel very bad for this woman and I hope she gets better soon.  And I hope that this will show the city that having a safe place to cross Valley is important!

I believe the entire street of Valley Blvd. needs sidewalks all the way from Curry to Tucker.  There are many children who walk this route after school. I also see families pushing their babies in  strollers with the rest of their children following in a row. Ive seen a women on her motorized scooter (wheelchair) making her way on Valley Blvd. too.  Its just SUCH AN UNSAFE pedestrian path to take. Especially when our beautiful sun is setting!!!! During those certain 15 -30 minutes as the sun is setting it is almost impossible to see where you are driving.  I know that I personally have to try real hard to see the road. The City of Tehachapi needs to find a solution to this problem because it is a VERY BUSY ROAD.  The city needs to make the investment of placing sidewalks along CURRY.  Make it a safe place to walk for all our community.

P.S. When I was  a high school student in Tehachapi I can remember a young girl getting hit on her bike and dying.  Her brother attended school with me.  His family was devastated. 

We try to take service animals with us as much a possible. However there is no room in most EMS helicopters to do this. We also have to think about safety when putting an injured animal in an aircraft.  I have transported service animals by ground before and it was good for everyone involved. Also there has to be someone at the hospital willing to care for the animal if its owners injures prevent it. I hope she has a full recovery soon.

I feel for this woman over the loss of the dog.  This is another reason why we need a real vet clinic that will see animals after 5pm. But this dog may not have made it with even vet intervention. When I worked as a FF/paramedic we always took the animals too.  A phone call to my husband or friends and the animal was picked up.  I fostered dogs, cats, a horse and some fish once until the family/owner could pick them up.  I also spent may hrs with friends looking for pets that escaped after a car accident.  And if we had our own animal shelter, we would have a place to shelter these animals.

Wasn't this the area that everyone wanted to put the New City Hall in the middle of a shopping complex with a new grocery store? And add more to the traffic/congestion of the area?

Yes this area needs a crosswalk and sidewalks.  Kids walk in the mud to school and I too, have seen the woman in the motorized W/C driving on the shoulder of the road.   The city should have put a "bike path/sidewalk" there to accomadate the traffic.

I'm sorry - a crosswalk is not going to save anyone from a speeding driver with the sun in his eyes.  Anyways - Caltrans would be the people to talk to.  I'm pretty sure that section of road is State Highway 202, therefore the City of Tehachapi can't do much about it. 

Those people in their motorized wheelchairs scare me. I see several people around town.... I'm sure that is another tragedy waiting to happen.

When I moved here just over a year ago I thought ohh a nice small town, that'll be great. When I moved in and took a few strolls around the neighborhoods I was disappointed. There are all those shops just down the street from me and even though they are well within walking distance, I haven't walked there. There is a serious lack of crosswalks and even sidewalks. I'm honestly not surprised at all that someone was hit and injured. There are very few places to actually cross the road safely even when people follow the speed limit. Considering how many pedestrians actually travel that road it is necessary. This city definitely needs to become more pedestrian friendly. A crosswalk sure won't save anyone from a speeding driver, but will provide a place for the pedestrian traffic that flows back and forth from that area to cross the street safely.

Someone should start a petition to show our concern and have something done about it. I am sure if you went door to door around the area you wouldn't find one person who thought it was a bad idea.

I hope that Diane recovers quickly and am so sorry for her loss.

Sun in the eyes is not an excuse.  I often wait 15 or 20 min before I leave town because of the sun setting on the 202.  It's a pain in the azz sometimes but it has to be done to prevent tragedies like this. Many times I have pulled over in my motor home and waited 30 min or so for the sun to go down when I am out on the road.  If a traffic hazard exists, take the safest route.  It's not worth having a scene like this burned into your memory for the rest of your life or dealing with your conscience.

 IMO a sidewalk from THS to Old Town and bike path all the way from one end of 202 to the other would be the way to go! Its also scary dealing with bicyclists on 202 past Woodford/Tehachapi Rd.  I agree with sunshine as far as a crosswalk it wouldn't matter, we need a 4-way stop or light  to slow people down. And if the sun was the problem for this motorist they why was he speeding up? When the sun is in my eyes that bad I tend to slow down and shield my eyes for better vision.

I have seen many people in that area trying to cross so the need for modification of the area is there since it's a residential neighborhood. I agree with Sunshine again about the wheelchairs there are times I am afraid that they will tip over because they are trying to move on dirt and hills. I don't think there is any excuse for that road not to have at least one sidewalk

What a sad tragedy for this woman and her companion.

All of the comments have validity,Diane did say there is a meeting,@ the veterans Hall,Tuesday,@ 6:00, we need to make sure,due to the Holiday. She did ask that we support the need, & go. Tehachapichick,Diane said she had a gf that was killed in town, years ago, the day before their HS grad. Then, they put a stop sign up, I wonder if it's the same girl,Diane is probably, middle 50's, or so.

Thanks,TO&OS, it was hazy for me how Aki was handled, they did take him asap,to his regular vet. I don't know the name,& she showed the x-rays to another vet. & he agreed, Aki, could not have been saved.

Tk,the bond between them,seemed so special,even though Diane said she has been blessed in many ways due to this,losing that dog has to be consuming.

202 doesn't include that part of Valley anymore.  Since the re-alignment of Tucker, 202 runs from 58, up Tucker, then out to the prison on Valley.  Valley east of Tucker is the City's now.

Pedestrians Who Are Blind

"Pedestrians using guide dogs or white canes with or without a red tip must be given the right of way at all times. These pedestrians are partially or totally blind.Be especially careful when turning corners or backing up when these pedestrians are in your vicinity." 

The above is directly from the California law regarding blind pedestrians crossing streets.

The above law kind of negates the statement Garrett made to the effect Diane was jaywalking doesn't it? Did anyone else see the interview with him on the news I believe was on Wed. evening at 5. Can't remember which station it was though and I can't find the video on any of the stations websites. I'd sure like to watch it again.... and again. Can't believe he made that statement.

The state law states there is a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, at every intersection in a residential area. So regardless of where she was crossing, she had the right of way. When I heard Garrett make that statement I got quite offended by it. He needs to know the law before he opens his mouth!!

Typical Idiotic Tehachapi City Manager Cover My A**, Think I'm Reducing Our Liability statement.  You gotta pay somebody close to $200k a year to be that dumb?  This city needs two new councilmen to fire some folks and shake things up.  The woman is blind, dummy!  The blind always have the Right of Way.  Get your head outer your arse...

I didn't see the interview, sounds like it would really pi$$ me off. We drove by,almost the exact spot,Diane & Aki were hit, & here's this woman crossing the street, w/the " I have the right away," attitude. Oh lady,your not gonna have that attitude in a coffin. I have actually been hit , in a xwalk, the truck just grazed me, all the precautions are a big help, but the bottom line is , PAY ATTENTION! BTW, the truck that hit me, pulled over for a second, then sped off.

IMHO the city isn't going to be bothered with putting sidewalks anywhere outside of the cutesy poo downtown beautification area. That's seems to be where all the money goes. There are so many areas within the city limits that need attention in the way of road repair, sidewalks, crosswalks, no parking, etc. that will never be fixed it's pathetic. I see kids walking to school on Dennison everyday where there are no sidewalks or curbs, not 5 ft from speeding cars. The same thing on Valley by the High school. At least there's a curb along there. It would be shocking to drive around and look at all the areas that don't have sidewalks.  I'm not sure whose responsibility it is to put sidewalks in. The property owner or the city. But we must have the cutesy downtown pretty for the tourists. S- - -w the residents, but let's keep the tourists happy! 

Whew, I have to quit or I'll go off on a tangent.