A Visalia teenager was struck by a semi-truck after the man pulled over to fix a flat tire on the side of Highway 99, according to California Highway Patrol officers.
Around 7:42 p.m. on Wednesday, CHP’s Fresno dispatch center received a call that a man had been hit on Highway 99 and was lying in the northbound lanes, just south of Merritt Drive in Traver.
Officers and paramedics rushed to the scene and found the 18-year-old man. He was dead. The driver of the semi-truck pulled to the side of the roadway after he stuck the man.
Police later determined that the 18-year-old man stopped his 2009 Honda on the right shoulder of Highway 99 north. The man’s back left tire was flat, according to CHP officers.
While standing outside of his Honda, the man was hit by a 2009 International semi-truck. The driver, Richard Vargas, 41 of Visalia, was in the slow lane of traffic, officers said.
It’s unclear if the 18-year-old was standing too close to the highway or if Vargas was in his lane.
Vargas stopped immediately after hitting the man, CHP said. He wasn’t injured and remained at the scene.