By Kristin Grafft
A car fatally struck Philipose Geevarghese, a 79-year-old Cerritos resident, as he crossed Carmenita Road on Saturday, October 19.
Detective Tim Britt of the LA County Sherriffs station in Cerritos said Geevarghese was walking east across Carmenita Road, just north of 166th street, when he was struck by a female driving a small car heading north on Carmenita at 7:10 p.m Saturday evening.
The female, who cannot be named due to the ongoing investigation, was not cited or detained in the incident. The detective also said that no drugs or alcohol appear to have been involved in either party.
“The driver appeared to be, at least at this point, driving well within the posted speed limit,” said Detective Britt.
Geevarghese crossed the multilane highway at a section that did not have a pedestrian crosswalk, although there was a crosswalk approximately 150 feet south of where he was.
Upon the collision, the driver stopped immediately to call the police and “tried to render aid.”
Geevarghese was transported to the UCI medical center where he was pronounced dead at 9:04 p.m. that same night due to blunt trauma injuries.