Man struck, killed after crash on Ventura Freeway

A driver who got out of his car following a crash on the Ventura (134) Freeway in Glendale early Saturday morning died after being struck twice by oncoming traffic, according to California Highway Patrol investigators.

The name of the driver, who was black and in his 40s, has not been released pending notification of next of kin, Los Angeles County coroner’s office Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.

The initial crash occurred at 12:24 a.m. after a 2001 Honda CRV stopped for unknown reasons in a middle westbound lane just before Pacific Avenue and was rear-ended by a 2005 Toyota Solara traveling at an unknown speed, California Highway Patrol officer Monica Posada said.

After the crash, the driver of the Solara exited his vehicle and began walking toward the center divider wall.

While on foot in the westbound carpool lane, he was struck by a Lexus IS 250 that was traveling at about 75 miles per hour when its driver merged into the carpool lane to avoid the disabled vehicles, Posada said.

The Lexus driver slowed but was unable to stop, and the force of the impact propelled the Solara driver up over the center divider wall onto an eastbound carpool lane.

The man “was still alive and moving,” Posada said, when he was struck a second time by a vehicle traveling eastbound at an unknown speed. He was pronounced dead at 12:42 a.m.

The eastbound driver fled the scene and has not been located or identified, Posada said.

The crash remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call California Highway Patrol investigators at (626) 296-8100.

--

Follow Joe Piasecki on Twitter: @JoePiasecki.