By Kristina Pritchett
Police say investigation is still ongoing regarding an April crash that led to the death of a Dana Point man.
Thomas Raith, 69 of Dana Point, died at the scene after being struck by a vehicle at the corner of Golden Lantern and Selva Road shortly before 3 p.m. on April 8.
Police say Raith was making a left-hand turn onto Golden Lantern when his PT Cruiser was struck on the driver’s side.
Lt. Mark Stichter with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said police are still working on a toxicology report.
Stichter said the length of the process is very normal.
“One thing to remember about these cases is that it was a major accident,” Stichter said. “The investigation is extremely complex, it’s very deliberate. The last thing we want to do is rush through and not get it right.”
He added the department’s goal is to complete the investigation.
“We’re not going to rush that, and we’re very interested in getting it right,” Stichter said. “Someone died in that crash and we have a responsibility to finish this out.”
The correct date for this accident was April 9th, not the 8th.
Really? April to January – toxicology reports simply DO NOT TAKE that long. How complex can this be? The driver ran a red light and killed a man. Witnesses at the scene – the license plate was covered almost immediately – WHY???
The family has no closure – I have seen 15 vehicle accidents resolved in weeks – – count this up it has been 9 NINE months – no mention of the driver’s name – this is ABSURD – please tell us what is really going on here =
What a bunch of BS. Has there ever been a case of a car accident investigation taking this long??? They must be hoping we all forget about this tragic accident and Mr. Raith, but we will not. The Raith family and the citizens of Dana Point deserve answers. Who killed Thomas Raith and why is this car accident investigation taking so long?!
Exactly – something more is going on here – just tell the truth – this was not a complex case – Black SUV ran a red light was speeding – hit a vehicle who had a green light – killed a citizen – please tell me what IS the complication? What takes 9 months? My goodness if we spent this amount time on every accident we would be bankrupt
I’d don’t think it can be said now that an investigation is ongoing–11 months later. The only thing that can be said now is: Cover Up.
I’d don’t think it can be said now that an investigation is ongoing–11 months later. The only thing that can be said now is: Cover Up. Now I’m told this is a duplicate comment of mine and have to re-post something else instead. How about: We want answers. Now I’m told that I’m posting too quickly. Slow Down. H O W A B O U T : P l e a s e t e l l w h a t h a p p e n e d?
I’ll be interested—whenever this indeed happens—to hear what toxicology report takes nine months to complete. Do you think we’re STUPID?