The man who was killed when a car hit him on the 405 Freeway Tuesday night was running across lanes of traffic after crashing his own car, the CHP said today.
The situation began around 8:30 p.m. when the man was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier southbound on the 405 through Long Beach, according to the CHP. For an unknown reason, he crashed near the Lakewood Boulevard exit, and the Cavalier ended up overturned in the carpool lane, a CHP report said.
The man then “exited the vehicle and ran across lanes toward the right shoulder and the Lakewood Blvd. off-ramp,” the CHP said.
He made it across the freeway and over a raised median that separated the main lanes from the off-ramp. Once he was on the off-ramp, he ran “directly into the path” of a vehicle, according to the CHP, who said a driver tried to stop but couldn’t avoid hitting the man.
The man died at the scene, according to authorities, who haven’t yet publicly released his identity.
Long Beach Fire Department officials originally said three cars were involved in the incident, but the CHP said there were only two.