Diane Castillo has always taken her two dogs, Daisy and Cleo, on an early morning walk before work every day.
And although this was the morning routine for the past few years, the 49-year-old Castillo always tried to keep it exciting for her two canines. So she mixed up their routes between days.
They would take different strolls in the neighborhoods, Castillo said, walking past other dogs and their owners, near their home in an unincorporated part of the county near Carson.
But on Monday morning, Oct. 7, Castillo and Daisy were hit by a white pickup truck coming southbound on Vermont Avenue, according to Castillo. She suffered bruising and fractured ribs, but Daisy was fatally struck by the vehicle, which she believes was a Ford, Castillo said.
“She did get hit and the vehicle kept going,” California Highway Patrol Officer Simeon Yarbrough said.
Before the hit-and-run, the trio took in the brisk early morning air.
At around 5:45 a.m., they waited near Belson Street to cross an unmarked stretch of Vermont, where this day’s route started.
Castillo and Cleo stood at the curb.
But Daisy, 13, was eager to get going. She stepped into the bike lane.
The rest was a blur for Castillo.
“The cars kept coming and all of the sudden, this white truck got in front of this car on the right,” she said. “He was speeding up.”
Castillo saw the truck swerving toward her.
She tried to call and grab for Daisy, but the miniature pinscher-dachshund mix wouldn’t budge, according to Castillo. The dog probably thought that meant they were going home, she said.
“Daisy put her weight into it and I couldn’t get her,” Castillo said. “Then, all of a sudden, I heard a bang. He hit me with the side view mirror and my body broke it off.”
Castillo’s eyeglasses, which she needs to see, flew off of her face a few feet away.
A passerby saw Castillo and came to help.
But they told Castillo not to go near her glasses, because they were near where Daisy’s body lay.
“When I got hit, I think I blanked out for a few seconds,” she said. “I didn’t even know I was injured at first, I just called out for Daisy.”
Shortly after, first responders came to the scene.
Castillo’s injuries were non-life threatening, so she had someone take her to the hospital, she said. She’s recovering, but will have to take time off of work, Castillo said.
And Cleo, a terrier mix she’s had for six years, appears to be shaken by the incident but otherwise is fine, she added.
But Castillo’s grief for Daisy, particularly the way she died, is haunting her, Castillo said.
“She was my daughter,” she said.
When Castillo got Daisy 13 years ago, she believed the young dog had been abused because she had anxiety. Their bond was inseparable.
“She stuck to me like glue,” Castillo said. “I have anxiety, too, so I understood. I couldn’t take a shower or anything without her leaving my side.”
Castillo asked for the driver, or anyone with other identifying information, to come forward to authorities.
The investigation is ongoing, Yarbrough said.
“If there were witnesses out there,” he said, “if there was a vehicle license plate or video, it makes it easier (for us to track the vehicle).”
Yarbrough encouraged anyone with information about the incident to call CHP at 310-516-3355.