Driver hits and kills man running on Highway 101 in Atascadero

May 16, 2023

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The driver of a pickup truck hit and killed a 25-year-old man who ran into the path of the vehicle on Highway 101 in Atascadero early Tuesday morning. 

Shortly after 2 a.m., Ethan Paul Thompson, 32, was driving a 2022 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck northbound on Highway 101 just north of Santa Rosa Road while an Atascadero man stood in the center median. For an unknown reason, the man ran from the center median into the path of Thompson’s truck, according to the CHP.

Thompson was unable to avoid the man, and his truck collided with him. The 25-year-old man sustained fatal injuries.

Authorities are withholding the identity of the deceased man as they notify relatives. Coroner’s personnel will conduct a test on the man as part of an autopsy.

Investigators do not suspect Thompson consumed alcohol or used drugs prior to the crash. 


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