Pedestrian Killed on 210 Freeway in Azusa

AZUSA, CA – A pedestrian was found dead in the westbound lanes of the 210 Freeway in Azusa early Wednesday, prompting a partial shutdown of the freeway during the morning commute, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A caller reported the body lying in the roadway to the CHP at 3:31 a.m. Wednesday on the westbound Foothill Freeway east of Azusa Avenue. The caller told dispatchers the body was partially blocking the slow lane, CHP said.

The CHP issued a Sigalert at 3:46 a.m., closing the two right westbound lanes. The closure was expanded at 4:15 a.m. to cover all westbound lanes from Grand Avenue, though the carpool lane stayed open throughout. CHP had not identified the pedestrian as of Wednesday morning, and the agency’s online log gives no indication of how the person was killed or by whom.

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How Pedestrians End Up on the Freeway

CHP officers routinely respond to reports of pedestrians in freeway travel lanes across Los Angeles County, and such incidents frequently involve stranded motorists, people crossing on foot far from any interchange, or individuals struck by a vehicle that continues on without stopping.

Freeway corridors like the 210 carry tens of thousands of vehicles through the San Gabriel Valley every day, and speeds in the 60-65 mph range are common on that stretch through Azusa. Statewide, pedestrian deaths remain one of the largest categories of traffic fatality. 

The California Office of Traffic Safety recorded 1,106 pedestrian deaths in 2023, an 8.8 percent decline from 1,213 the year before, but pedestrians continue to account for roughly a quarter of all traffic deaths in the state. 

Los Angeles County alone recorded 305 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, more than any other county in California, according to UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center. Pedestrian deaths on freeways carry particular risk because freeways are built for vehicles moving at high speed, not for people on foot, and they generally lack the crosswalks, sidewalks, and lighting found on city streets.

California Laws on Pedestrian Collisions and Deaths

Under California law, a driver who strikes and kills a pedestrian on a freeway can face civil liability for negligence regardless of whether criminal charges follow, and that exposure does not disappear simply because the driver left the scene or has not yet been identified. Drivers owe pedestrians, including those in areas not intended for foot traffic, a duty to operate their vehicles with reasonable care given the conditions present at the time. 

When a driver cannot be located, California’s hit-and-run and uninsured motorist framework allows surviving family members to pursue compensation through the deceased pedestrian’s own insurance policy or, in some cases, through the driver of any vehicle that contributed to the circumstances of the crash even without direct contact. Fault in freeway pedestrian deaths often turns on whether a driver, given the prevailing speed and visibility, had a reasonable opportunity to see and avoid a person in the roadway.

That standard applies whether a case proceeds as a personal injury claim or, because of the reported death, a wrongful death action brought under Code of Civil Procedure sections 377.60 and 377.61. If the pedestrian’s identity is later confirmed and the family pursues legal action, California Government Code provisions governing claims against public entities would only come into play if a defect in the freeway itself, rather than driver conduct, is found to have contributed to the death, and no such finding has been made at this stage.