A pedestrian was struck and killed late Wednesday night at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue P in Palmdale, authorities said. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Palmdale Station responded around 11:18 p.m. after a passerby reported a body lying in the roadway, with vehicles driving around the victim. The woman, later identified as 23-year-old Lizbeth Molina, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say it remains unclear whether the driver who struck her stayed at the scene or fled, and Sierra Highway was closed for hours as deputies worked the crash site.
According to MyNewsLA.com, deputies were called to the scene around 11:20 p.m. after a passerby spotted the victim in the roadway, and the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office later ruled that Molina died of blunt traumatic injuries in an accidental death. MyNewsLA.com also reported that Lt. L. Arnold, the Palmdale Station’s watch commander, said investigators had not yet determined whether the crash was a hit-and-run. KTLA reported that Sierra Highway was closed in the area while deputies investigated, and that the driver’s whereabouts remained part of the ongoing inquiry.