Road Sign Placed in Honor of 7-Year-Old Boy Who Was Fatally Struck by Pickup Truck in Pasadena

At left, A road sign was placed at the corner of Hill Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on Sept. 22, 2021, in memory of a 7-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a pickup truck while crossing the street with his family at the intersection on May 31, 2014. (Credit: City of Pasadena) At right, Aidan Tam, 7, was struck and killed by a pickup truck as he crossed Hill Avenue at Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena with his family on May 31, 2014/ (Credit: Stop4Aidan)

City officials in Pasadena put up a new sign on Wednesday warning motorists to yield the right of way to pedestrians in memory of a 7-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a pickup truck while crossing the street with his family seven years ago.

The sign honors the short life of Aidan Y. Tam, who died after he was hit by a pickup in a crosswalk at Colorado Boulevard and Hill Avenue on May 31, 2014, according to Pasadena police and Los Angeles County coroner officials.

He was crossing Hill Avenue with three family members when he was struck by a pickup making a right turn onto northbound Hill Avenue from Colorado Boulevard, police said at the time. The other family members were not hit.

Tam was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later, according to Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner officials. An autopsy determined he died from “multiple traumatic injuries” and the death was ruled accidental.

Intoxicated driving was not suspected and a 53-year-old local man at the wheel of the truck was not arrested.

Tam would have turned 15 years old on Oct. 22, said Pasadena Director of Transportation Laura Rubio-Cornejo.

His mother, Deborah Hsiung, reached out to city officials in 2016 and 2017, resulting in pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement operations in which people contacted by officers were given postcards explaining what had happened to Tam, officials said.

The mother again reached out to the city and state officials late last year and earlier this year to request a memorial sign, Rubio-Cornejo said.

“The request was supported by the city manager’s office and city staff moved forward with the development of the memorial sign,” she said. “The city developed various design alternatives that would be consistent with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and serve as a pedestrian safety sign as well as a memorial.”

Tam’s family has created an organization dedicated to pedestrian and bicyclist safety called Stop4Aidan.

More information on the organization can be found online at stop4aidan.org, or on the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Stop4Aidan.