Olive Avenue closes at First Street when car runs into pedestrian

Olive Avenue was closed at First Street Tuesday afternoon in Fresno after a collision between a driver and a pedestrian, police reported.

The crash took place about noon as the driver of a Toyota Corolla was westbound on Olive approaching First when a 56-year-old man walked in front of the car. The man was knocked off his feet, struck the windshield and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center with major injuries, police reported. The pedestrian was not in a crosswalk and it appeared the driver, a woman in her 60s, was not at fault.

Lt. Joe Gomez said eyewitnesses, the driver and evidence at the scene indicated the man suddenly crossed the eastbound lanes of Olive Avenue without looking for oncoming traffic. He stepped in front of the Toyota as it went west on Olive. “The pedestrian is at fault in this unfortunate accident,” Gomez said.

The Police Department's Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating the incident. The roadway was to reopen at 3 p.m.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Olive Avenue closes at First Street when car runs into pedestrian."