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Man hit, killed by car in Pearblossom area [updated]

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PEARBLOSSOM – A man was struck and killed by a car Monday night while walking across State Route 138 amid “poor lighting conditions,” authorities said.

The collision happened around 9:34 p.m. Monday, June 7, on SR-138 west of 121st Street East, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

The pedestrian was walking northbound across the highway when he was hit by a 2008 Saturn Aura that was traveling westbound. “Due to the poor lighting conditions, [the driver] was unable to see [the pedestrian],” the CHP report states.

The pedestrian sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not yet been released pending next of kin notification, but he was a 34-year-old Pearblossom resident, according to the CHP report.

The driver, 22-year-old Jerry Matthew Tate of Palmdale, remained at the scene and was questioned and then released, the CHP reported.

The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

“The involvement of alcohol and/or drugs for [the driver] is not suspected to be a factor in this collision,” the CHP report states.

UPDATE: The deceased has been identified as 34-year-old Shane Ramirez of Pearblossom, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

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9 comments for "Man hit, killed by car in Pearblossom area [updated]"

  3. SR 138 is a trunk road. I still don’t know why the county thinks it’s acceptable to have pedestrians and cyclists sharing space with 70 mph regional traffic.

    Either a new road needs to bypass the towns, or there needs to be sidewalks and bikeways 10 feet away from the road on each side, as well as an over/underpass for nonmotorized traffic.

    Separating traffic by momentum (remember, momentum is a vector, and vectors have magnitude and direction) is the key.

  4. I drive through that area to get to the 15 so I can get to work. People tend to go 80/90 on this highway which makes these roads EXTREMELY dangerous! If you are a pedestrian on these roads travel safely roughly 20-30ft from the road if possible! If you are riding a bike on this road late at night have lights on your bike or walk your bike to the closest side walk before riding!

    The biggest threat of these roads is that not enough sheriffs/CHP patrol the area often enough to keep people from going 15-30 miles over the limit! I try to remain at 70MPH at avg just because traffic is so chaotic and going slow is a quick path to the morgue! I must have seen the aftermath of at least 5 accidents in the last month 1 of which involved a semi and a pickup and another appeared to be a 3-way car crash at the intersection of Oasis Road and 138!

    Tips to drivers at night on dark roads: SLOW DOWN! So many of us who want to be able to get to our own destinations SAFE AND SOUND when driving on dangerous roads like this feel like we’re in constant danger of ending up in a fatal accident and NOBODY walking away alive! Just drop your speed down to the limit, maybe a little lower, and nobody will get hurt because NOBODY has to get hurt! Going slower at night increases your ability to see pedestrians sooner and be able to come to a complete stop, and will also allow you to avoid obnoxious drivers!

  5. “The pedestrian was walking northbound across the highway when he was hit…”

    Better traffic awareness needed.

    • I will agree here, though I still believe that even on regular roads (even unlit roads), you’d still want to slow down even just enough so you can stop before something happens.