Fresno activist killed in street; city has failed to install curb cuts
April 28, 2001 -- For more than a year, Fresno wheelchair user Elias Gutierrez had been complaining about the lack of sidewalks with curb ramps in the areas where he had to travel, saying he was being forced into the streets to travel to shopping and to visit friends.
On Sunday, March 18, the 60-year-old activist was killed when he was struck by a car as he was traveling in his power wheelchair next to the curb on Palm Avenue near Cornell. There were no curb cuts available to allow him to get onto the sidewalk.