26 year old man struck and killed by vehicle on highway 46 identified

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County Coroner’s Office has a man who died after being struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 46 as 26-year-old Emilio Garcia Mendoza of Atascadero.

The California Highway Patrol said that on October 26, 2024, around 8:41 p.m., officers were called to a crash involving an unknown object on Highway 46 east of Kecks Road.

CHP said a preliminary investigation revealed Mendoza was walking near the eastbound number one lane of Highway 46, east of Kecks Road, while a 52-year-old Bakersfield man was driving a silver 2014 Lincoln Navigator eastbound on the number one lane of Highway 46. east of Kecks Road, near Mendoza.

According to CHP, Mendoza entered the first eastbound lane directly in front of the Lincoln for unknown reasons. The driver of the Lincoln was unable to avoid Mendoza and struck him.

According to CHP, alcohol or drugs appear to be a factor in this crash.