A 51-year-old man whose minivan broke down on Interstate 215 in Menifee was attempting to dash across the freeway for a second time when he was struck and fatally injured, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.
Juan Escutia Herrera of San Bernardino was pronounced dead minutes after being struck about 9:20 p.m. Saturday on the northbound 215 at Keller Road.
CHP Officer Mike Lassig said Herrera’s minivan had stalled on the outside shoulder of the southbound 215, near Clinton Keith Road. He and his passenger, a man whose name was not released, got out and successfully ran across the northbound side of the freeway.
“They safely get across, somehow avoiding traffic, and the passenger realizes that he’s forgotten his cell phone, which is still in the minivan,” Lassig told City News Service. “So they decide to cross the northbound lanes a second time to go back for the phone.”
Herrera made it across two lanes, reaching the fast lane, where he stepped directly into the path of a 2009 Toyota sedan, which hit him at 65 mph, according to Lassig.
The Toyota driver, who wasn’t hurt, immediately stopped and called 911.
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene 10 minutes later.
The van passenger remained at the location and spoke with investigators. No one was arrested or cited. However, the circumstances remain under investigation.
–City News Service