A man walking along a central San Diego street was struck and killed by an SUV late Wednesday night near the Broadway overpass above Interstate 5, according to San Diego police. The crash happened around 10:10 p.m. on the 1800 block of Broadway, with the SUV traveling westbound when it hit the man, who was walking outside of a marked crosswalk. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The fatal collision was reported by Fox 5 San Diego & KUSI News, which detailed the crash location on Broadway at the freeway overpass, a corridor that sits just blocks from downtown. San Diego police detectives are investigating the crash, and police say DUI was not a factor. The station's report does not indicate whether the driver remained at the scene or whether any citations have been issued.
Jurisdiction and the Legal Gray Area of Mid-Block Crossings
Because the crash occurred on a municipal surface street rather than the interstate itself, the San Diego Police Department Traffic Division holds jurisdiction over the investigation, while the California Highway Patrol handles collisions on the adjacent freeway, according to the Yaghmai Law Firm. SDPD headquarters itself sits on Broadway in downtown San Diego, underscoring how central this stretch of roadway is to the city's core.
The fact that the victim was walking outside a marked crosswalk raises a legal nuance that many drivers and pedestrians may not fully understand. Since January 1, 2023, California's Freedom to Walk Act, also known as AB 2147, allows officers to stop a pedestrian when a reasonably careful person would believe there is an immediate chance of being hit, while a pedestrian cannot be fined solely for jaywalking, per Dunnion Law. That does not mean pedestrians crossing mid-block are free of all responsibility, however. Jaywalking pedestrians must yield to traffic, according to Mercado Kramer.
A County Where Pedestrian Deaths Keep Climbing
This crash adds to a grim regional pattern. Preliminary figures from the San Diego Association of Governments show that 96 pedestrians and 12 bicyclists were killed on San Diego County roadways in 2025, according to an op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune from Families for Safe Streets San Diego.
The crash occurred after dark, when reduced visibility can increase risks for pedestrians.
The City of San Diego Open Data Portal provides basic collision information and links to a separate details dataset through the City of San Diego Open Data Portal.
Wednesday's death is not the first fatal pedestrian crash near San Diego's downtown freeway corridors. In September 2023, a pedestrian walking along Interstate 5 near State Route 163 was struck and killed, a crash that triggered temporary freeway lane closures during the CHP investigation.
