Man servicing truck on 215 Freeway is struck, killed

PERRIS >> A man servicing a box truck on the shoulder of the 215 Freeway in Perris was struck and killed Tuesday when a motorist allowed his pickup to drift onto the edge of the freeway and hit him, authorities said.

The fatality occurred about 10:15 a.m. on northbound 215, just north of Nuevo Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Javier Navarro said the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, stopped the International box truck on the right shoulder to refill the radiator, with the help of a companion riding with him.

Navarro said the victim was attempting to secure the hood latch on the driver’s side after topping off the radiator when the driver of a Toyota Tacoma approached at an undetermined speed in the slow lane.

“For an unknown reason, the Toyota drifted onto the shoulder, colliding into the International and the male pedestrian,” the CHP spokesman said. “The man succumbed to injuries he sustained in the crash.”

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location within a few minutes and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

The other man was not injured, nor was the pickup driver, who immediately stopped, according to Navarro.

“Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in this collision,” he said.

The driver questioned but was not arrested.

The No. 3 lane on the northbound 215 Freeway was shut down until about noon while a preliminary investigation was conducted.

The investigation was ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the CHP Riverside office at 951-637-8000.