MORGAN HILL
– A pedestrian crossing Monterey Road at Edes Court in Morgan
Hill was struck by a car and killed Wednesday night.
MORGAN HILL – A pedestrian crossing Monterey Road at Edes Court in Morgan Hill was struck by a car and killed Wednesday night.
Lt. Joe Sampson said David Martinez, 27, of Los Banos, was driving north on Monterey Road when his 1995 Mercury Mystique struck Pedro Pareja Huertas, 48, of Morgan Hill, at approximately 7:15 p.m. Huertas was in the left northbound lane when the accident occurred.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Sampson said there was no indication of drug or alcohol use by either man or excessive speed by the driver, and no charges have been filed.
“It looks like Mr. Huertas just appeared in the roadway,” Sampson said Thursday. “It’s getting dark earlier and commuters are not used to driving home in the dark.”
Huertas was not in a crosswalk when the accident occurred, police said.
Martinez was not hurt.
Sampson said his department would step up educating the public about road safety, encourage drivers to be extra aware and pedestrians to use designated crosswalks.
“With the holidays, people are more distracted and there is more foot traffic,” he said.
Huertas is the fifth traffic-related death in Morgan Hill since the beginning of September and the second pedestrian fatality on Monterey Road between Dunne and Tennant avenues, a stretch without center dividers or islands.
The accident is under investigation. Witnesses are asked to call 779-2101.
