CHP Reveals Cause Of Pedestrian Crash On SR-74 In Riverside County

HEMET, CA — A 32-year-old man fatally struck while trying to cross Highway 74 in Homeland stepped into traffic without warning, where no marked crosswalk was available, California Highway Patrol reported Monday.

The victim, identified only as a Hemet resident, was struck shortly after midnight Friday on eastbound Highway 74, just east of Melba Avenue, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.

"The pedestrian was initially walking on the north side shoulder of the four-lane corridor when he turned and headed across the westbound lanes, at first avoiding traffic," he said.

The victim then proceeded to cross the eastbound lanes, stepping directly into the path of a 2003 Kia Sorrento traveling roughly 45 mph, according to Lassig's report. "The front of the Kia crashed into the man. He came to rest on the ground, and the driver of the Kia came to a stop."

The 18-year-old Hemet man at the wheel of the Kia was not injured.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location within minutes and pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene.

Officers questioned the unidentified Kia driver, but no arrests were made. The nearest marked crosswalk in the area is nearly a mile to the west at Leon Road, Lassig added.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the CHP Temecula office at 951-466-4300.