{"id":518062,"date":"2026-11-04T08:12:49","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T08:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/518062\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T08:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T08:12:49","slug":"bakersfield-crash-kills-73-year-old-suspected-dui-hit-and-run-follows-at-intersection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/518062\/","title":{"rendered":"Bakersfield crash kills 73-year-old; suspected DUI, hit-and-run follows at intersection"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 A crosswalk used by students in east Bakersfield is drawing renewed attention after a fatal collision, another crash witnessed by Eyewitness News and reports of a crossing guard being struck at the same location.<\/p>\n

\"(KBAK\/KBFX)\"<\/p>\n

The incidents have raised questions about safety at Columbus Street and Bucknell Street, where flashing pedestrian crossing lights are already in place.<\/p>\n

For Highland High School student Christian Gomez, who regularly catches the bus in the area, concerns about drivers are nothing new.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, it\u2019s almost every single day… people don\u2019t follow the law, they just go speeding,\u201d Gomez said.<\/p>\n

Gomez said he and his friends have experienced close calls while using the crossing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say almost twice i’ve got hit. and then one of my friends… was really close to getting hit also,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The latest concerns follow a fatal crash on Thursday, Oct. 29. According to Bakersfield police, 73-year-old Alfred Steve Morones died after his vehicle collided with another vehicle at Columbus and Bucknell. Investigators said speed and suspected intoxication are believed to be factors.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy:<\/p>\n

Courtesy: RD on the Scene<\/p>\n

When Eyewitness News returned to the intersection Friday, Oct. 30, another collision occurred while the crew was using the crosswalk. A vehicle stopped to allow pedestrians to cross after the crossing button was pushed, but another driver rear-ended the stopped vehicle before leaving the scene.<\/p>\n

The two collisions happened just one day apart.<\/p>\n

A neighbor also told Eyewitness News that a crossing guard was struck at the intersection on Sept. 1. Additional details about that reported incident have not yet been independently confirmed.<\/p>\n

The crossing already has flashing pedestrian lights, which Gomez said he initially believed would help protect people walking through the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the idea. i was like, okay, that would make me be more safer… but i mean, ever since they put it up, we\u2019ve had more accidents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gomez wants to see greater accountability for drivers using the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to hold drivers more accountable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"(KBAK\/KBFX)\"<\/p>\n

Eyewitness News has contacted local agencies seeking information about previous collisions, any reported safety concerns and the history of pedestrian safety measures at the intersection.<\/p>\n

Responses and additional details about the reported September incident were still pending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 A crosswalk used by students in east Bakersfield is drawing renewed attention after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-518062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}