Truck Hits and Kills Pedestrian in Palmdale

A man, apparently looking for aluminum cans to recycle, was fatally struck by a pickup truck early Tuesday as he pushed a shopping cart on the side of a road in Palmdale, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Palmdale resident Ronald Monahan, 25, was driving to work on Division Street near Avenue Q-7 when he struck the man from behind. There is no sidewalk on that stretch of the road, and the victim was walking in the traffic lane, said Traffic Sgt. Gary Olson.

“The driver said he did not see the victim until after impact,” Olson said.

Monahan was not cited. “We view this strictly as an accident,” Olson said. “The victim was wearing dark clothing, and it was still pretty dark out there.” The accident occurred about 5 a.m. and the man, who had not been identified, was wearing a dark green jacket with dark gray pants.

Sheriff officials do not think the victim was a transient because his shopping cart contained only a few aluminum cans. He died at Palmdale Medical Center from head and upper body injuries, Olson said.