Adelanto man struck, killed by car in Victorville; Sheriff says suicide

An Adelanto man died after being struck by a car near a high-traffic Victorville intersection Sunday night in what county authorities are calling a suicide.

Hector Pineda, 37, was struck by a car near the intersection of Hesperia Road and Bear Valley Road in Victorville around 6:15 p.m. Sunday and died as a result of the injuries at a local hospital, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a press release Monday afternoon.

Deputies say, "Pineda left a clinic on Hesperia Road and walked into the street, into the vehicle's path," which was occupied by an unidentified driver. Passengers who weren't injured in the collision remained at the scene during the investigation. During that investigation, the City of Victorville's Public Works Department closed the stretch of Hesperia Road from its intersection with Bear Valley to its junction with Jasmine Street.

Deputy Espinoza of the sheriff's Victorville Police Department was the first responder to the scene by coincidence. She was responding to a welfare check on Hesperia Road near Jasmine Street at the time of the collision when someone flagged her down "for a pedestrian who had been hit by a car," according to the release.

"Espinoza responded to the location of the collision and began lifesaving measures on the pedestrian, identified as Hector Pineda," the release states. "Emergency medical personnel responded, took over lifesaving efforts, and transported Pineda to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries."

The release concludes: "If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or in mental-health related distress, please reach out to mental health professionals available 24/7 confidentially at the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; dial 9-8-8 from your phone. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. The San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health offers a 24-hour Helpline at (888) 743-1478 and a Substance Use Disorder 24-hour Helpline at (888) 968-2636."

Charlie McGee covers California’s High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and worldwide. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adelanto man killed by car in Victorville; Sheriff says suicide