A man crossing Pacific Coast Highway in the dark was struck and killed Tuesday in Malibu.
The crash was reported just after 7 p.m. Tuesday on Pacific Coast Highway, according to Lt. Robert Wiard of the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station. PCH was closed in both directions between Encinal Canyon and Mulholland Highway for several hours.
The man, who had been fishing at El Pescador Beach before trying to cross the road, was identified as Luis Adolfo Olmedo, City News Service reported.
Olmedo was struck by a westbound vehicle and he was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff's Det. Justin Solomon said.
"It's dark out here, so I think that is an issue," Solomon said.
The motorist involved in the crash stopped at the scene and was not detained.
PCH was expected to be closed until as late as midnight. Westbound motorists were redirected to Encinal Canyon Road. Eastbound traffic was routed over Decker Canyon Road.
This is the second fatality on Pacific Coast Highway in the past three weeks. A tow truck driver was struck and killed by a hit and run driver on Feb. 11.
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There are no lights so at least make crosswalk lights at intervals along the way.
Putting it out there, there is every reason to raise the issue of personal responsibility but it would be much more reasonable to wait for an investigation that will provide the full complement of the situation. Should we just close the PCH to all nighttime driving, that's the only answer that will produce 100% safety on PCH during evening hours and would save the cost of lighting the highway as was suggested and what prompted me to offer the hours of operation of the park which is the reason for this man to be crossing the highway. I'm sorry he was in violation of the hours of operation, he'd likely be alive today if he'd heeded the regulation or if the State Parks enforcement had ensured that the park was safety vacated when they locked the parking lot gates and picked up the parking fees in the box.
Parking in most of the beach side lots have fee's. If you dont want to pay those ridiculous fees (8$ for the day, even in the winter) to go to the beach, you park on PCH. PCH is closed to parking on the beach side areas around the entrance to encourage people to park in the pay lots, however, all it does is encourage people to park ACROSS the street (which you are allowed to park) where there is a lack of a shoulder, a 55mph speed limit and no crosswalk. This problem exists on the entire length of PCH in Malibu. There is shoulder parking in areas where there is not enough room for everyone to co-exist safely. Speeding cars, an increasing number of bicyclists, parked cars, and the pedestrians and their water coolers in tow. All of this is supposed to safely work together? Get rid of the shoulder parking where its not safe. Thats the easiest and best solution that can be implemented for now until the big money developers start paying for shoulder extentions, or who knows, maybe even a double decker PCH.... i wouldnt put it past them...
Enforcement of the regulations might be a key tool in reducing the accidents and needed emergency services. Proactive enforcement should be weighed against the costs of reactive response. The hours of operation are there for a reason and there are State Parks officials charged with upholding those regulations. The operating hours AND the parking spaces in the lot vs. the highway are key issues in this situation - the man made decisions involving these and those decisions were significant contributors to his demise. Suggestions to light the highway or to provide crosswalks or signage is not going to achieve the heartfelt desire of no more deaths on PCH - enforcement of existing regulations and laws is our best defense against more loss of life on PCH - and all the roads, bicycle paths, beaches, trails and open space for that matter.
Our for hire sheriffs are a joke at best, so dont plan on relying on them for anything as has been proven time and time again. Read my comment below for my 2 cents on what I see is the issue.