Problem Intersection to Get Traffic Signal

A traffic signal will be installed at an intersection where a 6-year-old boy was struck and injured by a truck this week.

But business owners in the area say the planned signal should go up immediately to help pedestrians cross Los Angeles Avenue where it intersects with Galt Street.

“I have had customers come in and say, ‘It’s like taking your life in your own hands,’ ” said Ed Frates, owner of Simi Valley Furniture Outlet.

In the past 15 months there have been five accidents at the intersection, Simi Valley Police Lt. John Ainsworth said. The accident involving the boy was the first involving a pedestrian, he said.

At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, the youngster, Gage Shadden of Simi Valley, was being escorted across the street in the crosswalk by his 13-year-old sister.

Gage got away from his sister while the two were waiting on the median when a truck struck the boy, Officer Vernon Trujillo said.

Gage suffered chipped teeth and several cuts to his body, Trujillo said. He was treated in the emergency room at Simi Valley Hospital and released to his parents a few hours later, the officer said.

Police did not cite the truck driver.

Frates said pedestrians must wait for traffic to subside before entering the crosswalk at the intersection because motorists often don’t stop. In March, the city ordered a signal for the intersection. The signal is expected to be completed by September and cost about $85,000, Simi traffic engineer Hank Hein said.