CAPITOLA — A Watsonville man died Monday after he bolted into oncoming traffic on Highway 1 and was struck by a vehicle near 41st Avenue.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney, at about 5:45 p.m., an officer contacted the man, whose vehicle had become disabled and was partially blocking the slow lane on Highway 1 north of 41st Avenue. As the officer conversed with the 38-year-old driver, who has not yet been identified, they noticed he showed symptoms of intoxication.
The driver then started to walk into traffic lanes, Courtney said, and the officer attempted to pull him away. But, the man broke away and ran across both southbound lanes of Highway 1, jumping over the guardrail and into the northbound lanes of the highway, directly in the path of a Subaru.
The Subaru, driven by a 46-year-old woman from San Jose, struck the man before pulling over, according to Courtney. The officer, a passerby and other arriving officers began CPR on the man, but he was pronounced deceased at 6 p.m.
The man was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, which is thought to be a factor in the collision, Courtney said. The driver of the Subaru is cooperating with the investigation, and she was not suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
