A woman was struck and killed while crossing El Camino del Norte in Encinitas last Friday evening, in a crash that shut down part of the road and left deputies piecing together what happened. The collision took place in the 2700 block of El Camino del Norte, and the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said the driver who hit her stayed at the location and was not injured.
Deputies were dispatched to the 2700 block at about 7:15 PM. Investigators said a 2025 Nissan Z was heading westbound when it hit the woman as she crossed the street. "The vehicle and pedestrian collided in the roadway, and the pedestrian succumbed to her injuries on scene," SDSO Sgt. Kristy Trampus said. She added that the driver remained on site and that the use of alcohol or drugs is not believed to be a factor in this ongoing investigation, according to ABC 10News.
Where it happened and local safety work
El Camino del Norte cuts through the Leucadia area and is among the locations singled out in the city’s recent traffic safety efforts, including a Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant aimed at pedestrian-crossing upgrades across Encinitas. The city’s capital projects report lists a Citywide Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades project and a separate leading pedestrian interval (LPI) program, both of which include work on intersections near El Camino del Norte, according to the City of Encinitas capital projects report. Officials say those efforts are part of a broader push to slow vehicles and boost crosswalk visibility along former Highway 101 corridors.
Broader trends and what comes next
Researchers tracking crashes statewide note that deaths among pedestrians and other vulnerable road users have remained stubbornly high even as overall collision numbers fluctuate, a pattern UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC has highlighted in recent data releases. Sheriff’s investigators say their probe into last Friday’s fatal collision is ongoing and have not released the woman’s name. Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact authorities, according to ABC 10News.
