Pedestrian killed with dog in Huntington Beach crash ID’d

Huntington Beach police are investigating a collision Monday on Springale Avenue, in which a driver struck and killed a 71-year-old pedestrian and his dog, causing the closure of all northbound lanes of traffic for several hours.

The incident took place shortly before 6:30 a.m., just north of the intersection of Springdale and Brannen Drive, when a white Ford F250 pickup driving north on Springdale struck the pedestrian, HBPD reported in a news release Monday.

Paramedics arrived and found the victim, identified by coroner’s officials as Kurt George Mickel, lying unresponsive in the roadway, according to sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Lizbeth Guisdalla. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, a 37-year-old Huntington Beach resident whose identity is not being released to the public, remained on scene and cooperated with investigating officers. Drug or alcohol impairment on the part of the driver was determined not to have been a factor in the collision, according to police.

Whether the pedestrian may have been impaired remains to be seen, pending a coroner’s toxicology report, HBPD spokesperson Jessica Cuchilla said Monday.

Cuchilla further confirmed reports on social media that a dog was found at the scene, indicating a small dog ostensibly belonging to the victim was also killed in the collision. The pair had not been at a marked crosswalk when the incident occurred, Cuchilla reported.

All northbound lanes on Springdale were closed to vehicle traffic for approximately 3.5 hours to accommodate an investigation by HBPD’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or the events leading up to it is encouraged to contact HBPD Traffic Investigator Vishal Rattanchandani at (714) 536-5231.