Man killed in apparent hit-and-run is latest pedestrian death on Sacramento’s roadways

A man was struck and killed by a passing motorist near a Sacramento-area onramp Monday.

The fatal hit-and-run crash Monday morning was the latest in a string of Sacramento-area pedestrian and bicyclists deaths that have city leaders now considering a local state of emergency to get a handle on the growing public safety crisis.

California Highway Patrol officials say the as-yet unidentified man, 44, was struck as he stood near the onramp for the eastbound Capital City Freeway at southbound Watt Avenue near Auburn Boulevard. The area straddles the city limits and boundaries for Arden Arcade and North Highlands.

The driver was heading south on Watt Avenue and preparing to enter the eastbound freeway onramp when the driver struck the pedestrian, said Officer Justin Fetterly, a spokesman for the CHP’s North Sacramento office.

The driver did not stop, patrol officials said, and is still being sought by authorities. CHP officials say the driver’s car is possibly a 2012-2015 Toyota Camry.

The toll continues to mount on Sacramento roadways.

At least 21 people have been killed in roadway fatalities so far this year, The Sacramento Bee has reported. Of those, 14 were walking or riding bicycles. Two rode electric scooters. Five were motorists.

And, last week, a 48-year-old woman was critically injured when she was struck while attempting to cross Sutterville Road in Sacramento. On Monday, police said the woman had died at a hospital.

Sacramento Councilwoman Caity Maple, who referred to the Sutterville collision on social media — as well as Councilwoman Karina Talamantes and Mayor Darrell Steinberg — are expected to bring a proposal at Tuesday’s City Council calling for a state of emergency to address the crisis.

“I’m devastated to see yet another person critically injured after being struck by a vehicle on Sacramento’s roads,” Maple said in a social media post Friday, calling on leaders to take “immediate and urgent action.”

Along with a state of emergency, the proposal calls on Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan to steer funds toward a public education campaign focused on traffic safety, driver education and pedestrian and bicyclists awareness on area roadways.

Sacramento police would also step up traffic enforcement on roadways including Sutterville Road that are part of its “high-injury network” — those city streets where the highest numbers of fatal and severe crashes occur.

The city would also recommit to its Vision Zero initiative — its 2017 resolution to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027.