A Concord woman may lose her right eye as the result of someone apparently throwing or dropping a rock through her car’s windshield as she was headed to work last week.
The woman, Pam Burnett, on a GoFundMe page to raise money for her medical bills, described in detail the incident itself and the subsequent surgeries she has endured following the incident that took place at about 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 23.
Burnett, the married mother of boys ages 3 and 9 months, said she was headed north on state Highway 242 near westbound Highway 4 on her way to a shift at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in nearby Martinez, where she works as a labor and delivery nurse. Burnett said she was near where the freeway goes under Olivera Road in north Concord, when a grapefruit-sized rock came through her windshield and struck her in the face. She had the composure to pull her car over and use Siri to call 9-1-1.
“My first thoughts were that I would never see my sweet boys’ faces again, or be able to watch them as they grew up,” Burnett wrote. “In this moment, I thought this was the end for me.”
Burnett was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of “very extensive facial fractures” affecting her right orbital bone, both sides of her nose, both eyebrows, her sinuses and her right cheek. She had surgery that night to assess the damage to her right eyeball, and six hours of surgery on Christmas Day to repair the facial fractures.
At this point, Burnett calls the prognosis for her right eye “guarded.”
California Highway Patrol Officer Brandon Correia said Tuesday that he couldn’t provide many details of the ongoing investigation.
He did call it a “senseless” crime, and said the CHP seeks the public’s help in finding the suspect(s). Motorists traveling 242 between Olivera Road and the Highway 4 interchange who see anyone acting suspiciously are asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.
Any dashcam video showing any suspicious activity is also welcome, Correia said.
This is the latest of several similar incidents over the past year or so in the general area near the Highway 4 / 242 interchange.
In April, a 63-year-old Antioch woman, Margarita Erostico Ruiz, was killed when a brick crashed through a window of the car in which she was a passenger. The car’s 20-year-old male driver and two children in the back seat were unharmed, according to the CHP. No arrest has been made in that case, Correia said.
photo: Pam Burnett – GoFundMe
so what is that like the 4 or 5th car hit in the exact same are? 1 death and now a severe injury. i bet its teens or kids in that area. hillsbrough apartments?
I have no clue who did it, but as someone who lives in the area, I speculate that it could be someone who lives in one of the rentals on Hillsborough Court. I live in Sun Terrace Apartments, which is on the corner of Hillsborough Dr. and Olivera Rd. It’s pretty quiet here. But Hillsborough Court has a history of trouble. It isn’t unusual to see a police cruiser parked there.
OMG!! How awful 😔 I so sorry and can’t even imagine what she is going through.
Oops! It should say I’m
Maybe they need large warning signs against throwing stuff off of an overpass at each end of the overpass. Something with a pair of handcuffs pictured on it somewhere.
Ricardoh: you presume they can read!! They also probably know that our illustrious DA will just give them a hug and let them out the door. Don’t want to damage their developing psyches after all if they are incarcerated!!
Maybe a camera at each end if the overpass with a sign saying “Smile, you’re on camera.” Anything to discourage it from ever happening again.
I can only hope that the deranged character who dropped or threw that stone on that poor woman has the very worst luck of any human that ever lived.
So unnecessary😡
That is so unfair. Very dangerous thing to do to someone. I am so sorry for her. She has so many responsibilities and kids. Terrible. Prayers.
So senseless. Someone out there knows something. Please report it.
So very sad. I work at the same hospital as this nurse and just heard about this incident yesterday. What a tragedy, especially during the holidays. I hope the person/s responsible are found and punished
This is a tragedy *ANYTIME*…not just during the holidays.
@i am I said That’s why she used the holidays in addition to it being a tragedy. Did you get hit in the head with an overpass rock, too?
That’s also what I was thinking I would check video from the park at Matteo‘s dream across the street from the apartments there may be a video of a group of kids running from the area at the same time, or the cameras at the apartment complexes down the street might show somebody running around that same time. There are a lot of apartment units in that area
It hurts to see that poor woman’s injuries. “Senseless” is the only way to describe it. I hope she is blessed with a full recovery and is as good as new very soon for her boys.
Let’s hope they catch these punks and hopefully their wonderful parents who have shown no way how to raise children. Pray for this poor women and her family who is a nurse who helps the very people that cause things like this…..what a travesty…….
I really hope they get whoever is doing this in that area. How many people have to die or get hurt it’s horrible. Someone knows something!! Prayers for this lady and her family.
Pretty sure there are a bunch of homeless in the area, including the homeless shelter on Arnold…….just saying..
I sure hope someone can help clear that up. That’s a lot of pain.
Maybe it’s time to install some cameras city of concord before someone else gets hurt or killed.
They definitely should install some bit of surveillance. People have already been killed and hurt from this same location/activity.
NO! NO! NO!!!
Concord is a sanctuary city. We do not discriminate or profile “people of color”! Use of surveillance cameras is a violation of their “civil rights”!
(BS!!!)
Cameras wouldn’t have prevented this horrific crime. I think that part of the overpass (on Olivera Rd) needs to be enclosed, in such a way, to prevent the stupid amongst us from throwing stuff (or themselves) onto the freeway. There was a time (25-30 years ago) when there was no guard rail. A young kid could have leaned over too far, possibly falling onto the freeway.
Enclosing the overpass would only send this psycho to a different overpass, or to a hardware store to buy wire cutters.
Catch him or kill him.
What the HELL is WRONG with these creeps?!!! We need CAMERAS in these locations!!! We need Orange jumpsuits – not the usual slap on the wrist!!!!!
Installing camera seem like a good idea. I don’t see how that is profiling as cameras will record everybody, does not discriminate.
It is very scary, I know the area although I don’t drive there very often, still makes you nervous.
So sorry for this woman, hope she recovers and whoever did this is caught and punished.
This is awful! Praying for her eye sight.
Whoever did this I hope the guilt consumes them and makes it hard to sleep at night and hate themselves every single day of the rest of their pathetic life!
It’s probably to cover days missed from work, expenses that insurance won’t cover etc. She more than deserves any help may God bless her whole family what a senseless tragedy prayers are with her and her family.
We need a police officer stationed there 24/7 and surveillance. Clearly people’s lives are at risk.
This is happening too often. How much does it cost to install one camera facing along the length of the bridge. That way anyone can be seen.
Car got hit last night same area concord cops and city need to figure this out. cameras and protection to the drivers below need to be add you thought after last year this would have been taken care of.
Just terrible. Truly hope that people that live and commute in that area become more vigilant. This has clearly become a problem. I pray she regains the sight in her eye.
Same thing happened last night tell friends and family to be safe in the area since concord isn’t doing anything for your safety
Install some cameras around that overpass.
Im sure insurance will cover some of it, but if you read the GoFundMe page she states her husband will need to take a lot time off work to help care for Pam and their two young boys. I gave what I could to her GoFundMe page because she’s a frontline worker who takes care of strangers everyday and the least we can do now is try to take care of her now. I sincerely hope whoever did this is caught or comes forward. Im also not against camping out that overpass and bringing the person responsible for all these horrible acts of violence to justice. Enough is enough! My wife drives this same route a lot of times too and I cant imagine what the family is going through right now. I will keep them in my thoughts and pray Pam has a speedy full recovery.
That was very kind of you, I’m sure you will be rewarded in some form or another. What goes around comes around. Thank you.
You can thank the liberal politicicans everyone is voting for-I do not fall prey to their entitlement b.s leftist media dribble. DA Becton funded Soros and her fellow DA’s who do nothing to prosecute and continue to not do anything but catch and release because criminals have more rights than law abiding tax payers citizens. The country is not going in the right direction and we only have ourselves to blame. I am sick of not being able to voice my opinion without feeling threatened. But have to constantly listen to the leftist crap the media shoves down our throats. There is only free speech from the left.
RECALL NEWSOM NOW!
Install cameras focused on the overpass NOW. Already too little too late.
I would imagine at home with Dad. She works night shift.
There should be a crew out there right now, installing cameras.
Not tomorrow, not in the new year. NOW.
What does it take to get the government to do the most obvious things that need to be done?
Saw a work crew on the bridge today I thought they were replacing lights I hope they were installing cameras!
I remember a local TV station, that had an announcement text every night at 10:00 pm: “It’s 10 o’clock, do you know where your kids are?”.
There is so much crime in Concord that could be solved with cameras and license plate readers. The City Council resists security cameras. Even a temporary camera would help. People are dying.
Saw a work crew on the bridge today I thought they were replacing lights I hope they were installing cameras!
Security camera footage leads to racism when the public is allowed to view the footage, note the Bart mass robbing and beatings by “youths” which BART declined to release to avoid negative stereotypes of minorities.
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/07/09/bart-withholding-surveillance-videos-of-crime-to-avoid-stereotypes/
Unless Benton is willing to actually prosecute and incarcerate the guilty individuals, there is nothing that we can do except move to another state.
In the late 60s early 70s, an unannounced, angry group of students staging a sit-in at the Office of the Chairman of the Political Science Department forced the administration to make changes to the curriculum. They had one student who acted as the spokesperson abd walked into the Chairman’s office calming, in a normal tone of voice, presenting a list of demands. The rest of the students filled the office and sat anywhere they could, on desks, on the floor, anywhere. They blocked the door so we couldn’t leave, and it was impossible to continue working with the office packed full of people everywhere. It was peaceful, calm, and well organized, but it accomplished the goal.
It’s unlikely a group such as that could get past the barriers that now exist between administrative offices and the public (say Becton’s office, or the Police Department, or City of Concord offices), but a peaceful sit-in in the lobby might suffice. The planning and preparation would have to be kept completely confidential, and these days a “mole” could easily be present, especially now that I’ve suggested it as a way to bring pressure to bear when you are being ignored. But, if nothing is done to protect the public from incidents like these, it might be a viable consideration.
Gittyup,cellphones that nobody had back then,make the police show up very quickly.
Youre describing flash mobbing.
Gittyup, I remember police putting zip tie handcuffs on those sit down protesters and using swabs to apply pepper spray to their eyes… that got ’em moving.
Vigilantes hiding at the ready from both ends of the overpass – end that problem right there.
The easiest solution is to install a covered crossing (like the one by Oak Grove Middle School)
I agree!!!
I thought of the identical thing.They tracks seem to be more protected that the highways,It’s ,ore about protecting expensive equipment than lives,the roadways are cheap complared to trains and electric track.They couldnt care less about someone elses car.
Praying for your recovery.
What a senseless crime!
Just donated. I hope it helps.
Just heartbroken reading about this.
Sending love to this family.
I’d hate to say it but cameras is not an answer. How many people have Ring devices and they post a package stealer and you can’t even tell who they are from 5 feet away. What can a camera do across a 50 foot span on an overpass, and what’s the cost? More lights on the overpass? Not a full camera but an alert that triggers when pedestrian traffic on the bridge at night (not familiar with this overpass and walkway). Billboard locally in that area to report suspicious activity? Thinking of deterrents and awareness.
The overpass is owned by CalTrans. Send emails:
Jacala, Vince@DOT
“Layton, Sean@CHP” ,
“Wagner, Marcus@DOT”
Nothing a man and shoot gun couldn’t fix if given the opportunity
Wut
The same thing happened to my wife when she was pregnant with my daughter off the same overpass 20 years ago except my wife was not injured. We caught the kid and sued his parents. The need to put up higher fences to prevent this from happening again. I pray for a pain free and speedy recovery for Pam Burnett sorry this happened. <3
Geez Rick, maybe it’s the same guy 20 years older and even more mentally ill ….. I wonder if the cops have talked to him?
There has been a push to place more cameras on our highways (due to all the shootings) and city streets, however, people like your D.A., The ACLU, and city council members who feel this is an over-reach and a privacy issue. The funds were there before, however, it seems COVID is the general excuse to ensure nothing gets done or finished.
Let’s face it. We are all human beings and most of us suck. Humans suck. Society sucks. It sucks that the best people in this world get crapped on for trying to make the world a better place. Shame on humanity.
@AJR – I believe that roughly 98% of the people are decent human beings and less than 2% of them “suck” as you put it.
As others have pointed out here, teenagers and people with certain mental issues will do things without understanding or thinking through the consequences. Most of the teenagers that would do something as stupid a throwing grapefruit size rocks at cars end up as decent human beings when they are adults. Even the occasional normally decent adult has had their bout of road rage or something similar.
I agree with WC, I believe most are decent human being, whatever ails society I don’t think society “sucks”. Those that try to make the world a better place will be rewarded for the most part. Also what does making the world a better place mean? It means different things to different people, we can all do little acts of kindness in our daily life. Very few gets to it on a grand scale, like Mother Teresa, or Martine Luther King, never the less what ever each of us can do counts.
WC R.
Maybe %98 of people in WC ,but your figure is wayyyyyyy off otherwise.
Reality.
Idaho or Florida is starting to look good; this is a failed state.
They actually want that message to get out so that only the brain dead remain and they can basically chain gang the entire state.
Well on it’s way..
I thought of the identical thing.They tracks seem to be more protected than the highways,It’s more about protecting expensive equipment than lives,the roadways are cheap compared to trains and electric track.They couldnt care less about someone elses car.
Cameras will work for these type of crimes…
The city need to implement some kind of plan to catch these criminals.