June 12--A 25-year-old Kerman woman was struck and killed by a Fresno County sheriff's deputy's cruiser late Monday night, the California Highway Patrol said.
The Fresno County Coroner's Office identified the woman as Kristle Clowers.
The accident occurred about 11:10 p.m. on Highway 145, about five miles east of Interstate 5, and shut down the highway for eight hours between Oakland Avenue and Interstate 5. The highway opened at 7:10 a.m.
Clowers was walking north on Highway 145 and was in the roadway when she was struck by the deputy's car, CHP officer Ken Antonetti said.
It's not clear how far into the roadway Clowers was, and the speed of the deputy's car has not been determined, the CHP said.
"She was on the roadway, but it's undetermined where she was prior to the collision, whether she was on the shoulder and walked out into the lane," Antonetti said.
It wasn't clear why Clowers was there, he said. No disabled vehicles were found nearby. The stretch of road is bordered by farm fields; there is one development in the area, a farming operation at the intersection of Highway 145 and Oakland Avenue, but the houses on the property are set back from the highway.
It also had not been determined which part of the sheriff's car struck Clowers, according to the CHP. The CHP's major accident investigation team will investigate the accident.
The deputy, Kurt Rossi, was not injured. A Fresno County Sheriff's Office investigation also is under way. Spokesman deputy Chris Curtice said the Sheriff's Office is deferring all comments to the CHP. The Coroner's Office will conduct a toxicology test on the woman.
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6166 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Fresno Bee, Calif.
