Man Killed on La Mesa Freeway Identified

Authorities released the name today of an 88-year-old man who was struck and killed by an SUV while standing outside his broken-down pickup alongside a La Mesa freeway interchange.

Reynaldo Nava of Coronado pulled his disabled 1994 Toyota truck over on a patch of land separating westbound Interstate 8 and state Route 125 shortly after 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office and California Highway Patrol.

Nava used a nearby call box to summon roadside assistance, then walked back to his vehicle. He was behind it with his back to traffic when the driver of a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse cut across the median without realizing Nava was standing there, CHP public-affairs Officer Kevin Pearlstein said.

The SUV hit Nava and his pickup. He died at the scene.

Medics took the motorist, a 27-year-old New York resident, to a hospital for an evaluation. It remained unclear this morning if she would face charges over the fatality, though intoxication was not believed to have been a factor in the crash, Pearlstein said.

--City News Service