Man Dies After Being Hit by Cars; All But One Vehicle Kept Going

A man was fatally injured Tuesday when several cars ran over him on Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, police said. All but one, including a white sport utility vehicle believed to have struck the fatal blow, kept going, investigators said.

“We have very few leads,” said Sgt. Guy Miller, a spokesman for the Laguna Beach Police Dept. “We don’t even know if the driver was male or female.”

The accident occurred about 5:50 p.m. in the 30600 block of Coast Highway just north of Ruby’s Diner, investigators said. A northbound Ford Expedition turning out of a school driveway hit the 60- to 70-year-old man, who had not yet been identified late Tuesday.

The pedestrian appeared to have survived the initial collision, Miller said, but was knocked to a sitting position on the pavement as the vehicle pulled into the center of the roadway and stopped. While the driver phoned for help, Miller said, the white sport utility vehicle struck the pedestrian, stopped briefly, then sped away northbound. At least six more cars then ran over the man without stopping, he said.

The man, possibly a transient, was pronounced dead at the scene, Miller said. The accident is under investigation, he said.