Man walking on a Richland highway is hit by a car hours before his trial was to start
A pedestrian walking in traffic was injured when he was hit by a car early Monday.
Washington State Patrol said Jaden Scheuerlein, 28, of Kennewick, was walking west in the traffic lanes on Highway 240 just after 2 a.m. when he was struck.
The 2008 Honda Civic also was traveling west, said the WSP.
The wreck happened just before the intersection of the highway and Kingsgate Way, according to WSP.
Charges are pending against Scheuerlein. His condition was not immediately available.
The 18-year-old driver of the Civic and her passenger were not injured. Both were wearing seat belts.
According to online court records, Scheuerlein was scheduled for a jury trial in Benton County Superior Court on Monday for five felony charges of theft, identity theft, financial fraud, forgery and possessing a stolen vehicle. The charges are from arrests between 2018 and 2021.
According to Herald archives, Scheuerlein and another man pleaded innocent in 2018 to depositing 56 bad checks totaling $54,800 on 20 different accounts. They withdrew $9,990 in cash over a three-month period.
He also is awaiting trial in Franklin County on at least two other felony charges from 2020 — second-degree theft and second-degree possession of stolen property. That trial is currently set for May.
Scheuerlein is the second pedestrian struck while walking in the roadway on Highway 240 this year. In February a man was killed while walking on the highway along the Yakima River delta. The driver did not stop. Police are still looking for the driver.
And earlier this month, another pedestrian was killed at University Drive and Stevens Drive in north Richland while walking in the road.
