Pedestrian struck and killed on Highway 99 in Fresno for a second night in a row

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a potential hit-and-run on southbound Highway 99 just south of Belmont Avenue early Sunday morning that left one pedestrian dead.

“It’s really unknown at this moment what exactly took place,” CHP officer Johnny Fisher said. “What we do know is that a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.

“We actually did have one vehicle stop. We’re not sure if that vehicle struck the body when it was already on the ground. However, as of right now, it’s still under investigation as far as what exactly happened.”

The victim, Fisher said, could not be identified as male or female, and it is unknown why they were on the highway around 1 a.m., around the time they were struck and killed.

“Every night we get calls of people on the roadway, people laying on the roadway, and it’s unknown until we go on scene to determine what we have,” Fisher said. “In this area (Friday) night, we had another - we had pretty much the same thing happen. It’s a really highly trafficked area, not just by pedestrians but by motorists as well.

“It’s just really dangerous. If we can stress anything to the motoring public as they’re coming through Fresno County or Fresno, just go slow through this area, especially in really urban areas. Go the speed limit, just because you really don’t know what’s going to jump out at you, and tonight, just like last night, we have another tragedy.”

The victim was in the second of three lanes, toward the fast lane of the highway. Traffic was backed up for more than an hour, with two lanes of Highway 99 closed as CHP officers investigated the incident.

This story was originally published August 1, 2021 at 6:52 AM.