A 65-year-old Bakersfield man was crossing through the marked crosswalk at the intersection of L Street and 23rd Street when a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, stopped in the right-turn lane on L Street, accelerated into him. The driver stated he had checked for oncoming traffic and began his turn without seeing the pedestrian, who was walking from his right side and was approximately at the center of the vehicle at the time of impact. Surveillance footage from two nearby buildings captured the collision. The victim sustained a laceration to the back of his head, was transported to Kern Medical Center by Hall Ambulance, and succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the pickup was employed by Les Schwab Tire Centers of Central California Inc. and was driving a company vehicle at the time of the collision. A wrongful death complaint was filed in Kern County Superior Court on behalf of the decedent’s daughter. The complaint asserts the driver violated California Vehicle Code Section 21950(a) by failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.