Updated April 26, 3:28 p.m.–
A 59-year-old man who was fatally struck by a vehicle in Citrus Heights on April 24 has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office as Steve Bosick of Auburn, who had been released from jail earlier the same day.
According to Placer County Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Dena Erwin, Bosick had been released from the Placer County Jail “sometime after 1:20 p.m.” on April 24, after being booked in jail the prior day on charges of being drunk in public.
The fatal collision occurred about eight hours later on Old Auburn Road near Sunrise Boulevard, with Citrus Heights police stating in a news release that responding officers found Bosick in the roadway just after 9:45 p.m. Sunday. Bosick had injuries “consistent with being struck by a vehicle,” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Although still under investigation, police said neither alcohol nor speed appear to be a factor in the collision. The driver involved was also cooperative with the investigation, according to police.
Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department Traffic Unit’s Officer Barron at 916-727-5500.
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A portion of Auburn Boulevard was blocked off by Citrus Heights police Monday night, as officers investigated a vehicle versus pedestrian collision. //CHSentinel
Citrus Heights police said an elderly woman was hit by a car while trying to cross Auburn Boulevard near Antelope Road Monday night — with nearby church-goers saying she was leaving a memorial service when she was struck.
Police Sgt. Chad Morris said the collision occurred around 9 p.m. outside the Sierra Oaks apartment complex, at the corner of Sycamore Drive and Auburn Boulevard, where responding officers found the woman lying in the roadway with major injuries. Morris said the woman was “unconscious, but breathing,” and was transported to a hospital by medical personnel, where she is currently listed in “serious condition.”
By about 9:30 p.m. Monday, nearly a dozen officers were observed on scene, with “do not cross” tape surrounding a large area near Sycamore Drive, where a small amount of shattered glass, vehicle debris, and several pieces of clothing were seen lying in the roadway. Sgt. Morris said the vehicle involved sustained “fairly significant” front-end damage, although the car was still drive-able, and the driver was cooperative.
Morris said a preliminary investigation indicated that neither drugs, alcohol, nor speed were a factor in the collision, but he said the woman was crossing the street in an area where there was no crosswalk within several hundred feet. He said the northbound lanes of Auburn Boulevard would be closed for “several hours” Monday night, to allow for a comprehensive investigation of the scene.
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Several attendees of an evening memorial service at Bible Baptist Church on Auburn Boulevard said the woman who was hit had just left the service early, hoping to get home in time to see her grandchildren.
In September, another pedestrian was hit while crossing Auburn Boulevard several blocks away, and two others were killed on Auburn Boulevard earlier this year. Police previously reported a total of five people have been killed on Citrus Heights roadways this year — up from zero in 2014.
In a news release last week, Citrus Heights police said they are hopeful a recently awarded $236,000 traffic safety grant will help the Department curb a “particularly alarming” increase in pedestrian and bike-related fatalities on city streets.
Updated Oct. 31, 11:37 a.m.–
Citrus Heights police announced plans on Thursday to deploy additional DUI officers on city streets this weekend, calling Halloween “one of the most deadly nights” for drunk or drugged driving accidents across the nation.
While Citrus Heights had zero DUI-related deaths last year, 2015 has seen five fatalities on the road so far – at least three of which involved alcohol as a “contributing factor,” according to police Lt. David Gutierrez. Most of the roadway deaths also involved pedestrians at night — and with the promise of heightened pedestrian traffic and drinking on Halloween night, police are preparing accordingly.
“If you want to stay safe this Halloween, and you’ve been drinking, make a plan to get home without driving,” Lt. Jason Russo said in a written press statement this week, recommending options like Uber or a designated sober driver. But police also cautioned about drinking-while-walking.
“Most people understand the dangers and risks of drinking and driving,” Lt. Gutierrez told The Sentinel in an email, Friday. “We’re urging the public to also consider the dangers of drinking and walking.”
Gutierrez said the majority of pedestrians who were killed or seriously injured on Citrus Heights streets this year were over the legal blood-alcohol content limit and urged pedestrians to not attempt walking on city streets and sidewalks while intoxicated. He also said wearing bright, reflective clothing at night is helpful and strongly advised pedestrians to utilize crosswalks or cross at intersections — something he said several of the pedestrians hit this year didn’t do.
Police also cited statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which previously reported pedestrian fatalities around the country doubled on Halloween in 2012, compared to the daily average that year. Overall, the traffic safety agency found nearly half the vehicle-related fatalities on Halloween night between 2009 and 2013 involved a drunk driver.
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Lt. Gutierrez said over the Halloween weekend, Citrus Heights police will be partnering with regional law enforcement to deploy officers designated for “DUI saturation patrol,” a term referring to units that specifically “hunt” for vehicles or persons showing signs of alcohol and-or drug impairment.
The local police department conducts at least a half-dozen highly visible anti-DUI operations each year, with funding from an NHTSA grant. Earlier this year, a Memorial Day weekendDUI crackdownresulted in 11 arrests, according to police.
Citrus Heights police investigate the scene of a vehicle versus pedestrian accident, Sunday morning.
Updated Sept. 22, 12:34 p.m.–
The Citrus Heights Police Department is seeking additional information from the public as officers investigate a Sunday-morning collision on Auburn Boulevard involving a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle.
The collision occurred just before 1 a.m. near Kanai Avenue, resulting in a portion of Auburn Boulevard being closed down for about four hours to allow for an investigation, according to a police news release issued Sunday. Police said a preliminary investigation revealed the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk, and several witnesses on scene said the pedestrian did not have the right of way while crossing.
“The car who had the green light hit him and he flew up in the air,” said Ethan Gillian who witnessed the collision after coming out of the nearby Rocky’s 7440 Club. The pedestrian was provided medical treatment at the scene and transported to a local hospital and listed in “critical condition,” according to Officer Anthony Boehle. As of Monday afternoon, Officer Boehle said he did not have an update from the hospital on the pedestrian’s condition.
Police said the driver of the vehicle was cooperative with the investigation and officers believe speed was not a factor in Sunday’s crash.
Witness William Bish initially told The Sentinel that a silver Mitsubishi, which was observed on scene in the middle of Auburn Boulevard, had struck the pedestrian. Officer Boehle later confirmed on Tuesday that a white Prius was the only vehicle involved. The Prius had been sectioned-off with crime scene tape about 100 feet away from the accident scene and had a severely smashed-in front windshield and damage to the hood.
Sunday’s collision occurred within a few feet of where a 26-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. She passed away a few days later from injuries sustained in the crash.
Three pedestrians have died on Citrus Heights streets this year; two of which have occurred on Auburn Boulevard.
In Sunday’s press statement, police reminded pedestrians “to use caution when crossing the roadway, and to use crosswalks and pedestrian signals when present.” Anyone with information related to the collision is asked to contact CHPD’s Traffic Unit at (916) 727-5500.
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Updated Aug. 28, 8:21 a.m.–
Citrus Heights police closed down Auburn Boulevard near the Roseville border for about six hours Friday morning in order to investigate a fatal collision involving a pedestrian in the roadway.
Police said officers responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue around 11:05 p.m. Thursday, finding a man in the roadway “with injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle,” according to a news release. Metro Fire personnel arriving shortly after pronounced the man deceased at the scene.
Police have determined the pedestrian was not in marked crosswalk at the time of the crash and said a preliminary investigation revealed “the pedestrian was down in the roadway, for an unknown reason, prior to being struck by the vehicle.”
The driver of the vehicle involved is “cooperating with the investigation,” according to police, and neither alcohol or speed appear to have been a factor in the collision.
Thursday night’s fatality marks the third pedestrian killed on Citrus Heights streets this year, while police statistics show last year had no pedestrian or vehicle-related fatalities in the city. The first fatal collision occurred near Kanai Avenue on Auburn Boulevard around 2 a.m. on Valentines Day, and the second occurred earlier this month on Sunrise Boulevard at the intersection of Old Auburn Road.
Another pedestrian was struck and critically injured on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue in January of this year, but police said he is believed to have recovered.
Anyone with information related to Thursday night’s collision is asked to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at 916-727-5500.
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Citrus Heights police officers investigating on-scene after a pedestrian was fatally struck on Sunrise Boulevard, Sunday morning.
Updated Aug. 17, 6:14 p.m.–
Citrus Heights police closed down several lanes at a busy Sunrise Boulevard intersection Sunday morning after a 28-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross the street.
Traffic Sgt. Dave Gutierrez said the fatal collision occurred around 5:13 a.m. at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road, with an investigation revealing the pedestrian was hit while crossing in a crosswalk — but during a “don’t walk” signal.
According to a police news release, officers responding to the scene attempted lifesaving efforts on the pedestrian, but the man was determined to have been killed upon impact by Metro Fire personnel on scene. The pedestrian was later identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office as Joseph Downing, who was described by family members as “high-functioning autistic,” according to Sgt. Gutierrez.
An investigation following the incident resulted in several lanes on Sunrise Boulevard near the intersection of Old Auburn Road being closed down for at least six hours on Sunday. Sgt. Gutierrez said the extended road closure is standard for any fatality and was necessary for officers to investigate and “forensically map the entire intersection.”
The 58-year-old driver involved cooperated with the investigation, according to police, and it was determined the vehicle had been traveling on a green light when the collision occurred.
Although police said Citrus Heights saw no pedestrian fatalities last year, Sunday’s tragedy marks the second such fatality of 2015 within city limits. The incident earlier this year occurred around 2 a.m. on Valentine’s Day at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Kanai Avenue, with the 26-year-old woman involved passing away several days later from critical injuries.
“We take this as a critically important issue,” said Sgt. Gutierrez, reflecting on the pedestrian deaths this year. “But it’s important that pedestrians utilize the crosswalks [properly].”
Gutierrez said neither alcohol nor speed appear to be a factor in Sunday’s collision.
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A 22-year-old man was sent to the hospital in critical condition Saturday night, after Citrus Heights police said he was hit by a car at 40-miles-an-hour while attempting to cross Auburn Boulevard outside of a crosswalk.
Officers closed down northbound lanes on Auburn Boulevard after a pedestrian was struck by a car, Saturday night.
Sergeant Mike Wells said the collision occurred around 7 p.m. Saturday, when a Toyota Matrix hit the man in the northbound lanes of Auburn Boulevard, near the intersection of Twin Oaks Avenue. The collision caused police to shut down both northbound lanes for about five hours, re-opening traffic just before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to an email advisory sent out by police dispatchers.
Wells said the pedestrian was able to cross southbound lanes successfully before being struck in the northbound lanes, resulting in “major injuries.” Significant damage on the Toyota’s driver-side bumper and fender area was noticeable at the accident scene.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, according to Wells, but neither speed nor alcohol appear to be a factor.
Wells said the Department “would like to remind all pedestrians to not cross the street outside of a marked crosswalk or controlled intersection.”
