How Pearl Harbor Contributed to an Altadena Death

Friday marks the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that left thousands dead and initiated the United States into World War II.

While people around the world heard about the tragic event, do you know that it affected Altadena on a local level?

One particular effect was that Christmas Tree Lane went dark for the first time in its then-21-year run following the Pearl Harbor attack as part of wartime blackouts that were imposed due to concerns of following attacks.

Due to the darkness and inclement weather in Altadena on Christmas Eve in 1941 and the fact that a driver was under the influence of alcohol, Altadena Deputy David Larimer was struck and killed by the inebriated driver’s car while he tried to help a woman cross the road in the dark conditions, according to an Altadena Sheriff’s Station release.

“The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor took 2,402 lives and wounded 1,282 others, but it is unknown just how many traffic related fatalities occurred as a result of the wartime blackouts imposed in the wake of the attack,” the Sheriff’s Station noted. “Deputy Larimer was one of eight people who lost their lives in traffic collisions on Christmas Eve 1941. There seems little doubt that the blackout was at least partly responsible.”

Larimer is honored every year on Christmas Eve by the Altadena Sheriff’s Station.

How did Pearl Harbor affect you or people you know?