Pedestrian Killed on 210 Freeway Near Lake Avenue

PASADENA, CA — A pedestrian was struck and killed on the 210 Freeway in Pasadena late Saturday night, the California Highway Patrol said Sunday.

The crash happened at about 11:40 p.m. on the eastbound freeway just west of Lake Avenue. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. CHP has not released the person’s identity or the circumstances that led to the crash, and no further details were immediately available.

How Pedestrians End Up on Freeways

Freeways are built for vehicles moving 65 mph or faster, with no sidewalks, no crosswalks and no reliable place for someone on foot to stand. Yet CHP officers field tens of thousands of calls every year across Los Angeles County alone involving pedestrians on freeway lanes and shoulders, according to CHP data reported by NBC Los Angeles.

Officers who work these calls point to a handful of recurring explanations. A driver whose car breaks down may step out to check under the hood or wait for help, putting them in the path of oncoming traffic. Someone involved in an earlier crash may end up standing on the roadway while exchanging information with another driver or waiting for a tow. 

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Others are simply trying to cross from one side of the freeway to the other because it’s the most direct route to a destination, unaware of or ignoring the legal restrictions that apply. In some areas, CHP officials have also linked the volume of freeway pedestrian calls to rising homelessness, noting that people camped near freeway corridors sometimes wander onto the roadway itself.

Vehicle Code Section 21960 allows Caltrans and local authorities to prohibit or restrict pedestrian access to freeways and expressways altogether. The law carves out one narrow exception: the driver or passengers of a disabled vehicle stopped on a freeway may walk to the nearest exit. Beyond that, foot traffic on a controlled-access freeway is generally not permitted.

Darkness Is a Major Factor

This crash occurred close to midnight, during the hours when national crash data shows pedestrians face the greatest risk. According to 2024 data compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 74% of pedestrian traffic deaths occurred in dark conditions, whether or not the roadway had artificial lighting. Reduced visibility gives drivers far less time to see and react to a person in the roadway, particularly on a freeway where vehicles are already traveling at higher speeds than on surface streets.

Neither CHP nor Caltrans has indicated whether lighting, weather or any other environmental condition played a role in Saturday’s crash, and nothing in the available reporting supports drawing that conclusion. Broader crash data shows that darkness alone substantially raises the risk any time a pedestrian and a vehicle occupy the same stretch of roadway.

Reducing the Risk

State agencies including the California Office of Traffic Safety and Caltrans have run public safety campaigns urging pedestrians to stay visible after dark: wearing light-colored or reflective clothing, carrying a flashlight, and using crosswalks or designated walkways whenever one is available. None of those measures apply cleanly to a freeway shoulder at night, which is precisely why officials treat any pedestrian presence there as an emergency. Drivers who spot someone walking on a freeway, or see hazard lights from a disabled vehicle ahead, are advised to slow down, move over where safely possible and report the situation to CHP rather than assume the person has already been seen.

For anyone stranded on a freeway, the safest option in most cases is to stay inside the vehicle with a seatbelt on and call for help, or exit only on the side away from traffic and move well clear of the roadway. The CHP’s Freeway Service Patrol operates in congested corridors specifically to clear disabled vehicles quickly and reduce the amount of time anyone spends exposed on the shoulder.

California Liability Considerations

Under California Civil Code Section 1714, every driver owes a duty of care to others on the road, including pedestrians in places they should not legally be. That duty does not disappear simply because a pedestrian was on a freeway shoulder or lane. Fault in these cases often turns on speed, attentiveness and whether the driver had a reasonable opportunity to see and avoid the person before impact.

If poor lighting, inadequate signage or a roadway design defect contributed to a fatal crash, Caltrans or another public entity — not just the driver — could face a claim under Government Code Section 835. Claims against government agencies carry a strict six-month deadline under Government Code Section 911.2, far shorter than the two-year window that applies to most personal injury claims.

If the investigation into this crash identifies negligence by a driver or a public entity, the victim’s family may have grounds to pursue a wrongful death claim under California Code of Civil Procedure Sections 377.60 and 377.61.