Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 11:14 a.m.
Traffic collisions continue to be the number one cause of death for children nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the local aspect of that grim statistic was brought home by the deaths of two 3-year-old girls last week.
Victoria Dudley was killed Aug. 16 when the Dodge Caravan her father was driving collided with a Ford Expedition on the Las Vegas beltway and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.
On Aug. 18, about 20 miles away from where Dudley died, Paloma Contreras was killed when she ran into the path of a pickup truck in a residential neighborhood near Flamingo Road and Decatur Boulevard.
Metro reports that of the 101 traffic fatalities in its jurisdiction since Jan. 1, seven children ages 14 and under have been killed.
This year, no children 14 or younger have been killed in traffic in Henderson or North Las Vegas, spokesmen for those cities' police departments said.
Police throughout the valley are worried, however, that the chances of children being hit by vehicles are about to increase with Monday's start of the school year.
From 2000 to 2005, 123 children ages 14 and younger killed in vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in Nevada, according to the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety.
Experts said that the valley's most recent child traffic deaths underscore the importance of parental supervision, the need for motorists to always obey traffic regulations and the crucial role played by proper use of child seats for all children younger than 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds.
The Nevada Highway Patrol originally reported that Dudley was not in a child seat when she was killed in the crash on the beltway, but it is currently investigating whether Dudley was in a seat, said Trooper Kevin Honea on Wednesday. If she was, then it probably was improperly installed or she was not properly secured in it or both, authorities said.
The Clark County coroner's office previously ruled that Dudley died from a deceleration injury due to the collision, or simply put, she died from a sudden impact of the body.
Honea said the Highway Patrol has not issued citations in the fatal crash. Officers initially suspected that the Ford Expedition failed to stop at a stop sign and may have caused the accident.
However, Honea said, they have not cited that driver and are looking into other causes as well, such as the speed of the Dodge that was carrying Dudley.
Officials also are waiting for test results to determine whether drugs or alcohol played a factor in the collision, he said.
Kiya Smith, 10, who was also in the van with Dudley, remained still in the pediatric intensive care unit at UMC on Wednesday, according to the hospital.
When Paloma Contreras ran into the path of a truck on Retablo Avenue, many immediately blamed the parents for being neglectful and allowing their child to run into the street, said April Liedloff, a neighbor who lives above the Contreras family's apartment.
"I was watching the news and everyone was criticizing the parents -- but the parents are really good," Liedloff said, adding that the parents would never leave a child unattended.
The family, grief stricken, declined to comment.
Another neighbor, Irma Lanier, who lives next door to the family, also said she was stunned by the news that Contreras was killed in a vehicle accident.
"When I heard the news, I thought it couldn't be," she said. "They would never let the girl out into the street."
Lanier, who has lived on Retablo for at least two years, said she has always been worried about drivers who speed down the street, especially considering that there are so many children in the area.
"We have a sign that says 25 miles per hour, but no one pays any attention to it," she said.
Erin Breen, director of the Safe Community Partnership at UNLV, said drivers often do not adjust their speed in residential areas, even when there are indications that there are children in the area, such as toys in the front yard of a house.
Police said the driver fled the scene after his truck struck the girl.
Later, police arrested Joey Manera, 36, at Fort Apache Road and Hacienda Avenue. He is charged with felony hit-and-run involving a death.
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