Rio Linda pedestrian dies after car hits him on Interstate 5 in Sacramento, CHP says
A 24-year-old Rio Linda man died early Wednesday after he was struck by a car while walking across the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near the American River in Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The fatal crash involving the pedestrian occurred about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday on the freeway just south of the American River Bridge.
A 52-year-old Sacramento woman was driving a Lexus IS250 sedan about 60 to 70 mph south on I-5, just north of Richards Boulevard, according to a news release from the CHP South Sacramento Area Office.
At the same time, the Rio Linda pedestrian was walking on the freeway in the southbound lanes from the center divider to the road shoulder on the west side of I-5. CHP officials said the pedestrian walked directly into the path of the Lexus, and the driver was unable to stop or slow her car.
The left side of the Lexus struck the pedestrian, who was thrown to the ground, the CHP reported. His body was found partially in the far right lane and on the road shoulder on the west side of the freeway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Lexus driver stopped at the scene and cooperated with investigators before she was released, CHP officials said.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will release the pedestrian’s name once his family has been notified. Investigators on Wednesday afternoon had not determined whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in this fatal crash, which was still under investigation, according to the CHP.
