Woman Wearing Black Dies When Struck by Motorist
A woman walking in the middle of the Pearblossom Highway and dressed head to toe in black was killed Friday night when she was hit by a motorist, said a California Highway Patrol officer.
An investigator from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office identified the victim as Pamela Jean Burt, 48, of Lake Forest.
Burt was walking in the eastbound lane of the highway near 75th Street East at about 11:15 p.m. when she was hit, said CHP Officer Richard Perez. Her cap, gloves, and shoes were also black.
The driver, a 35-year-old Burbank man, tried to brake when he saw the dark figure in his path.
“He didn’t see her until it was too late,” Perez said.
Officials did not know whether Burt was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she died, Perez said. The coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy.
The Pearblossom Highway, or Route 138, is a rural, two-lane road and one of the most dangerous roads in the county, according to the CHP. In October, the state formed a task force to patrol the road after two dozen people were killed in accidents there in less than three years.
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