Long Beach police say a woman was killed while trying to cross a street in the Belmont Heights neighborhood this afternoon.
The crash was reported shortly before 1 p.m. at Fourth Street and Ximeno Avenue. The woman died at the scene, and police cordoned off the intersection in all directions as they investigated. Her age was not immediately available.
Detectives were working to determine what caused the crash, LBPD spokesperson Allison Gallagher said. There was no immediate word on whether the driver was believed to be at fault.
Laura Martel, who has lived in the neighborhood for four years, said the intersection is a known hazard. She had a close call last night when a turning driver jumped the curb and nearly struck her dog and her friend, she said.
“People run this light all the time,” Martel said.
Traffic deaths have been a scourge recently in Long Beach. Last year, there were 53 fatal collisions, the most in more than a decade.
Pedestrians, cyclists and people on scooters took the brunt of the death toll. Statistics show 32 people were killed while walking or riding in Long Beach, outpacing the number of people murdered: 29.
After pressure from residents, local politicians recently said they want to speed up the pace of safety improvements.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.