LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Chelsea Madrigal was walking home from school on Feb. 5 when she was run over by a black pickup truck at the intersection of Rainbow Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.
Dashcam video shows the horrifying moment the 14-year-old was struck head-on as the car made a right turn. She was thrown underneath and left in the middle of the road as bystanders rushed to her side.
“I don’t want anyone to go through this because it’s been really painful,” Madrigal said.
Madrigal sustained life-altering injuries, including a broken jaw, a shattered arm, and damage to her spinal cord.
“I want to go back to how everything was. It changed many things in my life,” she said.
The driver claimed he thought it was safe to make the turn but was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian. No drugs or alcohol were involved, but a moment of carelessness has now changed her life forever.
“The kid was ran over and the driver didn’t notice at all,” said Sam Ryan Heidari with the Heidari Law Group, who is now representing Madrigal.
“I was just there. I couldn't process everything that was going on because I was on the ground,” Madrigal said.
In Las Vegas, this is not an isolated incident.
According to the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety and the Transportation Research Centerat UNLV, already in 2025, just two months into the year, there have been 15 pedestrian fatalities in Clark County.
In 2024, there were 97 pedestrian fatalities in Clark County.
WATCH | Channel 13 reporter Anyssa Bohanan broke down the number of incidents Metro responded to in 2024, showing an increase for the fourth year in a row.
“The doctors had told me it’s a miracle that I survived. It’s sad and I don't want anyone to go through this,” Madrigal said.
Her message is that we all need to pay attention. Every step we take on the sidewalk every turn we make behind the wheel counts because in seconds, lives could be changed forever.
Heidari Law Group asks if anyone has any additional video of the incident to please reach out.
