Pedestrian killed in San Rafael hit & run

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - A fatal hit and run in Marin County has California Highway Patrol asking for the public's help.

The victim, a man in his 60s, was found on a Highway 101 off-ramp, with no witnesses, so far, as to who hit him.

"He was laying face down on the roadway, with what appeared to be blunt force trauma," CHP Sgt. Robert Haven told KTVU at the Lucas Valley Road exit where the hit and run occurred. 

Investigators returned to the scene Wednesday checking for more clues in daylight.

It's a northbound exit that splits: a bus lane on the left, and the off-ramp to the right.

The man was spotted, unconscious, in the traffic lane, and dispatchers received multiple 911 calls of a body on the pavement. 

Officers found no car at the scene, and no witnesses to the collision either.

"No debris, no markings of what vehicle may or may not have hit him, and no skid marks," observed Sgt. Haven, "so any information from the public would be greatly appreciated." 

Haven was among the first responders at the scene Tuesday night, closing the off-ramp for the investigation.
He says a few people passing by stopped to try to help the victim before paramedics arrived, but the man died at the hospital. 

"We have people who called in the incident after the fact, and right now, we're trying to determine if their stories jive with the timeline we have," said Haven.

Golden Gate Transit runs at the bus pad until 9 p.m. 

If the victim was heading to a bus, or just got off one, there are paths to stay safely off traffic lanes, and away from oncoming cars. 

"It's not common to see a pedestrian on the roadway at night, so we wonder why this person was out here, and where he was going," admitted Haven.

"We're going through the dispatch logs, and sorting out all the calls, officers have been researching this all day."  The freeway approach to the exit is well-lit and unobstructed.

And although investigators don't know the whole story, whoever hit the man must know it: the vehicle would have front end damage, possibly a cracked windshield, as it left the scene.

"It's not only the law, it's morally responsible to pull over if you do something like that," concluded Haven.

The identity of the victim is being withheld as his family is notified.

Witnesses to the hit and run, or the pedestrian and driver behavior beforehand, are urged to call CHP.