Pedestrian killed when struck by car in Fresno identified. Officer was also hurt at scene
The 21-year-old pedestrian killed in a Fresno roadway less than an hour before an officer was hit by an alleged drunk driver was identified Tuesday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.
A driver headed south about 1:50 a.m. Monday on Clovis Avenue struck a woman in the roadway north of Shields Avenue, the Fresno Police Department said. She was Araceli Regino Hernandez of Kerman, according to the coroner.
She was not in a crosswalk or intersection, police said. She died at Community Regional Medical Center a short time later.
The driver spoke with officers and was not suspected of being impaired, police said.
An officer who was working at the scene after the fatal crash was using his patrol car to block the roadway on Clovis south of Dakota avenues, police said.
Another driver headed south on Clovis Avenue about 2:15 a.m. failed to stop and collided with the passenger side of the patrol car, pushing it into the officer who was on foot and hiding behind it, police said.
The officer attempted to get the driver’s attention but to no avail, police said. The patrol car spun, hitting the officer and throwing him in the road, police said.
The officer suffered some abrasions and complained of being in pain, but was expected to recover, police said. He was taken to an area hospital.
The driver was suspected of drunken driving and was taken to Fresno County Jail on suspicion of felony DUI, police said. His driver’s license had previously been suspended due to an alleged drunken driving incident in June.
He was held in lieu of $27,500 bail, according to jail records. He was no longer in custody on Wednesday, records show.
