Girl Dies in Bakersfield Halloween Crash

BAKERSFIELD, CA – A 12-year-old girl died and three other pedestrians were injured after a driver struck the group at Harris Road and Marin Street in southwest Bakersfield on Halloween night, police said. The collision occurred at about 6:36 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, as children and families were walking through the neighborhood for trick-or-treating.

Officers responding to the 3800 block of Harris Road found two adults and two juveniles who had been hit. All four were taken by ambulance to an area hospital. The girl later died from her injuries, while police described the injuries to the other three pedestrians as not life-threatening.

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Four Pedestrians Were in an Unmarked Crosswalk

In the police’s preliminary account, a red Hyundai sedan was traveling east on Harris Road when it struck the pedestrians. The group was walking south within the unmarked crosswalk at Marin Street. The account did not describe the sedan’s speed, the point at which the driver first saw the group or the sequence in which the four pedestrians were hit.

The driver remained at the scene and spoke with officers. Police said the driver was cooperating, but they had not determined whether speed or impairment contributed to the collision. No arrest, citation or final finding of fault was announced in the reports published through Monday.

Halloween-night witnesses said children and families were trick-or-treating in the area when the crash occurred. A fundraising page cited in that report identified the girl only as Faith and said the money would help with funeral expenses. The Kern County Coroner’s Office had not released her full name, so the public identification remained incomplete.

Harris Road in Bakersfield Investigation Remains Open

The collision renewed attention on a corridor where serious crashes had already affected nearby families. A review of the Harris Road history found that crashes along the road killed nine people and injured 20 others during the previous five years. The same review said neighborhood residents had started a petition seeking street changes after earlier fatalities. Those figures describe the corridor’s prior record and do not establish the cause of Saturday’s crash.

Investigators continued working from the preliminary account that the pedestrians were inside an unmarked crossing when the eastbound Hyundai struck them. The department’s statement did not say whether a traffic signal or stop control governed either approach to the intersection. Police had not released the driver’s name, the ages of the three surviving pedestrians or an updated description of their conditions. Anyone with information about the collision was asked to contact the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.c