I-8 Fatal Hit-And-Run Victim Was Likely Walking For Gas: CHP

PINE VALLEY, CA: A 45-year-old Arizona man fatally injured in a hit- and-run crash alongside Interstate 8 in Pine Valley was publicly identified Thursday.

Jaime Navarette Cardiel was struck alongside the eastbound lanes near Crestwood Road during a period of dense fog Tuesday night, according to the California Highway Patrol and the county Medical Examiner's Office.

Cardiel likely was walking to the nearby Golden Acorn Casino because his vehicle had run out of gas, authorities said.

A trucker called for help after spotting Cardiel badly injured and lying face down on the roadside about 10 p.m., the CHP said.

Cardiel was able to indicate that he was struck by an unknown vehicle.

He was placed into an ambulance bound for a waiting helicopter at Viejas Casino, but went into cardiac arrest and died while en route.

Although the make and model of the vehicle that struck Cardiel were not immediately known, CHP officials said it likely was left with damage to the right front. Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the CHP at 619-401-2000.

City News Service

Patch file photo/Maggie Avants