A memorial commemorates Ghadah Abduljabbar, who was killed, and her 6-year-old daughter, who was critically injured in a tragic collision outside Hancock Park Elementary School. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Law enforcement authorities are remaining tight-lipped about the cause of a crash on April 25 that took the life of a mother who was walking her daughter to Hancock Park Elementary School.

Ghadah Abduljabbar, 33, was struck shortly before 8 a.m. at Ogden Drive and Colgate Avenue by the driver of a pickup truck who police said was suffering a medical emergency. Abduljabbar’s 6-year-old daughter was also struck by the pickup and was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities said the day after the collision that the young girl remained in critical but stable condition. No updates have been provided since April 26.

The collision remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division, and detectives had no comment. LAPD spokesman Bruce Borihanh said on May 2 there are no updates on what happened to the driver, who crashed into the side of an apartment building at Park La Brea after hitting Abduljabbar and her daughter. The male driver was taken to a hospital and later released after authorities determined he had suffered a medical emergency.

Borihanh said no charges are pending against the driver, who is in his 30s, but he said nothing has been finalized. Authorities believe it was a tragic accident, he said.

“That’s where were at. Anything is possible if something turns up, more video or witnesses or evidence,” Borihanh said. “They are still working the case. It’s not closed.”

Flowers and candles have been placed at a memorial for Abduljabbar and her first-grade daughter near the site of the collision.

Crossing guards have been posted at the intersection where the fatal collision occurred since the day after the crash, except one day when the guard assigned called out sick and a replacement could not be assigned. Leo Daube, a spokesman for Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, said the crossing guards will be in place for at least two weeks, and the councilwoman is working on having them stationed outside the school until the academic year ends. The LADOT is funding the crossing guards and oversees the city’s crossing guard program.

Yaroslavsky supports motions calling for the city to explore ways to hire more crossing guards and to add speed humps on streets around schools, Daube added. Borihanh said while crossing guards and speed humps wouldn’t have prevented the tragic collision on April 25, additional safety measures are beneficial. Crossing guards are a highly visible safety measure that increases the likelihood of people stopping, and speed humps are effective in getting a majority of people to slow down. Traffic calming measures on small streets also help reduce cut-through traffic by causing people to go around on major thoroughfares, Borihanh said.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is also looking at steps that can be taken around Hancock Park Elementary School.

“Our hearts go out to the family and the entire Hancock Park Elementary community in the wake of last week’s tragic crash. Reckless speeding claims far too many lives in our city and even one life lost to this entirely preventable violence is one too many,” read a statement provided by the LADOT, sent in response to inquiries from the Beverly Press. “Our team assessed this location to identify additional safety improvements that will be implemented in the coming days to further protect children and parents walking to school. Additional crossing guards will also staff the school until these treatments are complete, and we urge all drivers to follow existing signs and speed limits to keep our communities safe.”

The Los Angeles School Police Department has increased patrols in the area around the school and LAPD motorcycle officers have frequented the area. Borihanh said the police presence also prompts motorists to drive more safely. On May 3, a security guard from the Park La Brea complex was parked across the street from Hancock Park Elementary School. The guard said his presence is part of an overall effort in the community to make the area safer.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has called the collision near Hancock Park Elementary School a tragedy and is raising awareness about traffic safety around schools. Carvalho met with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on May 2 to strategize about making campuses safer. He called attention to other incidents since the fatal collision outside Hancock Park Elementary School, including a collision that injured a Fairfax High School student on May 2 and a May 1 crash that injured a student at Joyner Elementary School in South Los Angeles. The Fairfax High student was reportedly struck by a vehicle while walking to a bus stop near his residence and was treated at a hospital.

“It’s frustrating to hear of more students being struck by vehicles,” Carvalho said. “Mayor Karen Bass and I agree that unacceptable and preventable frequency of vehicular incidents are impacting the health, well-being and safety of our children.”

LAUSD Board of Education member Nick Melvoin spoke at a hearing of the Los Angeles City Council’s Transportation Committee on April 26 regarding the need for more traffic safety measures around schools. He supports traffic safety measures that can prevent a similar tragedy from reoccurring.

“No children or parents using crosswalks should become victims of preventable accidents,” he said. “We need more crossing guards and legislation to provide additional safety precautions.”