Wheelchair-Bound Pedestrian Killed in Hit-and-Run Incident

A man in a wheelchair was struck and killed on a street in Fullerton, and the driver remained at large Tuesday.

The victim was struck in the 2600 block of West Orangethorpe Avenue just before midnight and thrown 170 feet, said Fullerton police Sgt. Jeff Stuart.

The man appeared to have been outside a crosswalk when he was hit, Stuart said. There are no known witnesses, but police hope someone will spot the hit-and-run vehicle, which likely has major front-end damage, and come forward, Stuart said.

Described as a light-colored SUV or pickup truck with a camper shell, the vehicle was last seen going west on Orangethorpe, according to Fullerton police Sgt. Kathryn Hamel.

Fullerton police know the victim from prior contacts, but his name is being withheld until officially verified by the Orange County Sheriffs- Coroner’s Office, Hamel said.

The wheelchair user was struck by a vehicle near the same location March 3. At that time his blood-alcohol level was .36, or more than four times the legal limit for driving, Hamel said.

The victim was struck by another vehicle in Buena Park in March 2008, and been drinking prior to that collision, as well, Hamel said.

Anyone with information that could help investigators arrest the hit-and- run driver was asked to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers, which accepts anonymous tips, at (855) TIP-OCCS.

— City News Service