A road worker died Monday morning after a gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck struck him along Big Bear Boulevard and sped off toward Yucaipa. An alleged hit-and-run driver was later taken into custody. Edgar Chavez, who lived in Riverside, was pronounced dead at the scene near the intersection with Greenway Drive.
Emergency dispatchers received the collision call at 7:09 a.m. Monday along Highway 38, the roadway's official designation, at Greenway Drive, according to Johnson Attorneys Group. Paramedics performed CPR on Chavez, but first responders pronounced him dead at 8:04 a.m. after those efforts failed, per the same account. A witness told CHP that a colleague was struck by the gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck, according to Victorville Daily Press reporter Brian Day, who covered the crash for the outlet's crime desk. A San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department staff report identifies the relevant intersection as Big Bear Boulevard (SR-38) and Greenway Drive.
Truck Fled With a Traffic Cone Wedged Underneath
Witnesses reported seeing the Tundra swerving erratically on the roadway before it struck Chavez and fled eastbound toward Yucaipa, its front end damaged and a traffic cone wedged under the chassis, the law firm's account states. Per CHP logs cited by the Daily Press, the truck fled east on Big Bear Boulevard with that same cone still lodged beneath it — a detail investigators hope will help identify the vehicle. Caltrans shut down Big Bear Boulevard in both directions while crews investigated the scene, according to the Daily Press.
The Daily Press reported the fatal hit-and-run Monday. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol are conducting a joint investigation into the fatal hit-and-run, per Johnson Attorneys Group, which cataloged the case under CHP Incident No. 0148. Anyone with information can reach the CHP Arrowhead area office at 909-867-2791.
What the Fleeing Driver Could Face
Under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, leaving the scene of a collision that results in death or permanent injury is a felony punishable by up to four years in state prison and fines as high as $10,000, according to Eisner Gorin LLP. Because Chavez was working in an active roadway zone, the driver could also face scrutiny under California's Move Over law, Vehicle Code Section 21809, which requires drivers approaching stationary maintenance or Caltrans vehicles with flashing warning lights to slow down or change lanes, per West Coast Trial Lawyers. Violations of that law can bring fines up to $1,000.
Separately, California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 342 requires employers to notify Cal/OSHA within eight hours of any workplace fatality occurring in a highway construction or maintenance zone, according to the Department of Industrial Relations. The available reports do not identify which contractor or agency employed Chavez or describe whether specific traffic-control measures such as cones, signage, or flaggers were in place at the Greenway Drive intersection at the time of the crash.
A Dangerous Stretch of Roadway
Big Bear Boulevard is identified as Highway 38 near Greenway Drive. The San Bernardino County Countywide Plan discusses state-controlled facilities and improvements. The corridor has seen tourist traffic and roadwork. San Bernardino County recorded 120 pedestrian fatalities in 2023, ranking second among California's 58 counties behind only Los Angeles County, according to UC Berkeley's SafeTREC.
The available reports do not identify specific county traffic-safety materials addressing hit-and-run cases. California traffic-safety reporting addresses hit-and-run fatal crashes. Work-zone fatalities are another subject of national safety reporting.
Coroner officials identified the victim as Edgar Chavez, 43, the Daily Press reported. An alleged hit-and-run driver was taken into custody, according to the updated report.
