A fatal accident occurred Friday when a pedestrian, allegedly walking along Pacific Coast Highway north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, was struck by a vehicle that first collided with a power pole, said California Highway Patrol authorities.
The unidentified man, a transient known to friends as John, was reportedly walking on the landside of PCH, when a 37-year-old Los Angeles woman, driving a 1993 Plymouth Voyager minivan, hit him shortly after 4:30 p.m.
The CHP report said the driver was traveling west on PCH and drifted to the right and hit the pole.
No arrests were made and alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the collision.
It is uncertain why the van drifted off the roadway, said the report.
Ray Abramian, public information officer for the West Valley CHP said, “As drivers and pedestrians, we have to take our safety in our own hands.
“I can’t impress enough that people should walk against traffic when they are in areas where there are no sidewalks,” he said.
The CHP is still trying to identify the 55-year-old man, and urge that anyone with information as to who this person was to contact the California Highway Patrol, West Valley area office at 818.888.0980.
Unofficially, auto collisions, resulting in fatalities in this area seem to be increasing. This is one of more than five traffic-related accidents in the area within the past seven days.