ST. GEORGE — A man was killed early Friday morning after being struck by a semitractor-trailer while crossing Interstate 15 northbound near mile marker 122 in Mesquite, Nevada.
Shortly after 6:30 a.m. MST, officers and emergency personnel found the victim, a Hispanic man in his 30s, deceased at the scene.
The semi driver had pulled onto the shoulder of I-15 and was waiting for police to arrive.
The victim either walked or ran onto the interstate just prior to being hit, Quinn Averett, Mesquite Police Department’s public information officer, said. “He is actually a local person who lives in Mesquite and was out there on foot.”
Police believe the man was involved in several burglaries in Mesquite about an hour before the incident on the interstate was reported.
“We were investigating those burglaries when the call came out that someone had been hit on the freeway,” Averett said.
Officers spoke to the truck driver, who was “as OK as a person can be,” under the circumstances, he said.
Officers were able to make a preliminary identification of the man by the clothes he was wearing, which matched the description of those worn by the individual suspected in the burglaries.
They were unable to make a positive identification and are awaiting fingerprint and DNA results. That information will be withheld pending notification of the family.
I-15 northbound was closed while investigators processed the scene, but reopened later in the day, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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We can reserve judgement until the facts are in……….Tough payback for what sounds like minor crimes.