Blog Post

Four-Year-Old Fresno Boy Killed in Easter Sunday Accident


March 25, 2008
Topic: Drunk Driving Accidents

It was supposed to be an exciting Easter egg hunt for 4-year-old Elias Anthony Pico. He was on his way to a relative's house with his father, where the kids were to take part in an Easter egg hunt. By all accounts, his father Anthony Pico did everything he could to make sure his child was safe in the back seat. Elias was in a car seat in the middle rear seat, and was safely restrained.

But he hadn't reckoned with the sort of lunatic recklessness that comes when a driver has seen fit to step behind the wheel, after drinking more than is appropriate. The Pico family's Nissan Altima was traveling west on American Avenue and slowed down to turn into the driveway of the house where his cousin Victoria Cerpa was getting things ready for the Easter egg hunt. Elias never got to participate in the hunt. A 2002 Toyota Tacoma, driven by Stephen Watson and traveling at 60 miles per hour, slammed into the Altima from the rear. The impact of the crash caused the Altima to spin around and hit a concrete wall. Little Elias was killed instantly. He was his parent's only child.

The Tacoma continued on ahead for a while before coming to a stop near a chain link fence. Watson tried to make a run for it, but was chased by Anthony's relatives, who by this time had all come out of the house. He was restrained until the police were called to the scene.

The other passengers in the car, including a man, a woman and a 6-year-old child sustained minor injuries. Anthony Pico himself received minor injuries.

The car the family was driving was a rental, as their own car was at the service station. The Altima was much smaller than their car, and police at the scene said the injuries might not have been so tragic if it had been a bigger car.

Watson has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, gross vehicular manslaughter and felony hit and run. This wasn't a teenage boy out in his dad's car with his friends, kicking up a storm. This was an adult 45-year-old man who can't possible argue that he wasn't aware of the potential for danger when he decided to drive drunk. In fact, we should probably not even call this an "accident."

We need to stop dealing with drunken driving like it's a frat boy-type mistake. Punishments for drunken driving in the country are nowhere close to where they should be. Many times offenders get away with a slap on the wrist and nothing more. Is it any wonder then that so many drunken driving cases are by repeat offenders?

It's beyond senseless that a family has to lose their only child to the recklessness of another, and that too, on Easter. In cases like this, making the driver pay financial compensation that could cripple him and making him serve jail time is what could send a strong message to other drivers.

If you or a family member have been injured or killed by a drunk driver, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.