Pedestrian killed in Lompoc crash identified
UPDATE
The Santa Barbara County Coroner has identified the pedestrian killed Wednesday morning in Lompoc as 68-year-old James Koenen.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says Koenen is originally from northern California but was currently living in Lompoc.
The Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau is conducting toxicology tests to determine an official cause of death, while CHP continues its investigation into the deadly crash.
No further details were immediately known.
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ORIGINAL POST
A man was killed after he was hit by a car in Lompoc Wednesday morning.
According to CHP, the man was walking northbound within the westbound lane of SR-246 at the Sweeney Road intersection at approximately 5:00 a.m.
That’s when the driver, Gilberto Martinez, was heading westbound in a KIA Spectra. Martinez saw the man walk across the intersection. Martinez attempted to avoid the man by braking and swerving his car, but was unsuccessful.
The pedestrian died at the scene, CHP said.
SR-246 at Sweeney Road was closed in both directions for approximately one hour due to the incident.
The pedestrian’s identity has not been determined. The investigation is ongoing to determine if the driver was intoxicated.
