Girl Hurt in April’s Third Ice Cream Truck Accident

A 5-year-old Pacoima girl who was injured in the third Los Angeles traffic accident this month involving a child and an ice cream truck remained hospitalized Sunday with broken legs, officials said.

Ana Banda was hurt at 1:05 p.m. Saturday when she ran in front of an ice cream truck on Sutter Avenue near Judd Street, said Officer Dennis Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division.

The driver, Juaquin Hernandez, 25, of Pacoima, told police he was not selling ice cream nor playing the truck’s music when the girl ran in front of the 1962 Ford van.

Although no charges have been filed, Smith said the officer who investigated the incident recommended that the city attorney cite Hernandez for misdemeanor charges of driving without a license, driving without insurance and operating a vehicle with defective brakes and a defective windshield, which impaired his vision.

The girl was taken to Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley for treatment of two broken legs, a broken pelvis and other injuries, Smith said. A hospital spokeswoman said the girl was “doing fine� Sunday but declined to comment further on her condition.

Three weeks ago, 6-year-old Rachel Perez was killed in Pacoima when a motorcycle struck her after she purchased ice cream from a truck. Another child was killed this month in South-Central Los Angeles when she ran in front of an ice cream truck.

On April 17, police and health department inspectors conducted a crackdown on east San Fernando Valley ice cream vendors for traffic and health violations. Smith said police have also begun citing more pedestrians who cross streets in violation of traffic laws.

In the wake of the recent accidents, Smith said, parents should keep a closer eye on their youngsters. “When ice cream trucks are in the neighborhood, they should be more aware of where their children are,� he said.