SLO County man killed when semi truck hits Prius near Bakersfield
An Atascadero man was killed early Wednesday morning when his Toyota Prius was hit by a semi truck outside of Bakersfield, according to California Highway Patrol.
The Kenworth semi truck was driving northbound in the slow lane on Highway 99 at 3:31 a.m. when it struck the 2008 Toyota Prius just south of Highway 119, according to CHP spokesperson Tomas Martinez.
The Prius driver, a 43-year-old man from Atascadero, died at the scene of the crash. He was not wearing a seat belt but was not ejected from the car, according to Martinez. The CHP has not yet released the identity of the man who died.
The CHP has not yet confirmed if the Prius was driving northbound in the slow lane or parked on the right shoulder of the highway at the time of the crash, Martinez said.
The semi truck was traveling 55 miles per hour when it rear-ended the Prius, according to Martinez.
The CHP has not confirmed if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, but have not ruled them out, Martinez said.
There were no independent witnesses of the crash, which makes it difficult to confirm the cause, according to Martinez.
The collision is still under investigation. Anyone with information can call the CHP’s Bakersfield Office at 661-396-6600.
