Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights police blocked off a section of Antelope Road between Sunrise Boulevard and Mariposa Avenue Thursday night after a truck fatally hit a pedestrian who was “kneeling in the roadway.”
In a news release issued Friday afternoon, police said several 911 calls were received around 9:20 p.m. on Aug. 9, regarding “a welfare check of a male sitting in the roadway along Antelope Road.” Responding officers and Metro Fire personnel found the man in the roadway and attempted lifesaving efforts, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics.
The victim’s name was not included in Friday’s statement, but the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office later identified him as 22-year-old Victor Lawless, of Citrus Heights.
Police said a preliminary investigation found the victim was hit by a truck while he was “kneeling, facing east, in the number one lane of westbound Antelope Road.” Police said the truck was “lawfully traveling” in the number one lane at the time of the collision, and the driver immediately stopped and has been cooperative with a police investigation.
The investigation left both directions of Antelope Road closed for several hours.
Authorities said speed nor DUI appear to be factors in Thursday’s fatal crash, although the cause of collision is still under investigation by the Citrus Heights Police Department’s Traffic Unit. Anyone with information related to the collision is asked to contact the police department at (916) 727-5500.
Police said pedestrians are reminded “to only cross the roadway where it is lawful and safe to do so, and to wear bright colored clothing during hours of darkness.”
Note: this story was updated Aug. 11 to include victim’s name.
