Drunk Arroyo Grande man responsible for his own death

April 10, 2020

An Arroyo Grande man who was killed after he walked in front of a car transporting four children, was highly intoxicated and responsible for his own death, Grover Beach police said.

In the weeks following 33-year-old Justin Dean Truman Kissinger’s death, multiple residents spoke out at public meetings laying blame on the city for not having a crosswalk or stop sign in the area. However, a police report describes a drunk man in dark clothing, walking in front of a car during a heated argument with his intoxicated girlfriend.

On Jan. 21, Kissinger and his girlfriend spent part of the afternoon at a local park, drinking shots of Fireball Whiskey and beer as they called relatives looking for a place to spend the night, according to the police report. After one of Kissinger’s aunts said only he could stay at her home and not his girlfriend, the intoxicated couple got into a heated argument outside Vons, according to the police report.

Walking on opposite sides of North Oak Park Boulevard, the couple continued to argue and the girlfriend flipped Kissinger off, who then attempted to cross the street while also talking on his phone.

A passing driver flashed his lights and honked his horn to warn Kissinger of oncoming cars. Kissinger, however, waved at the driver and kept walking. The witness then looked in his rear-view mirror, and saw Kissinger in the air, according to the police report

A local man in a Chevy Tahoe, who was driving four children to his nephew’s birthday party, had crashed into Kissinger. While three of the children did not see the collision, all of the children saw Kissinger lying in the road.

Screaming, Kissinger’s girlfriend ran towards him.

Officers arrived and attempted to help Kissinger, who died at the scene. He had a blood alcohol level of .17, more than twice the legal limit.

At a Grover Beach City Council meeting on the night Kissinger died, residents asked the council to look into safety concerns regarding North Oak Park Boulevard because of Kissinger’s death and previous incidents on the roadway.