A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on westbound Highway 180 in Fresno Monday morning, just after 7 a.m., as he was crossing the freeway lanes. The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. The Cedar Avenue onramp was closed for at least an hour after the crash.
According to fresnobee.com, CHP responded to the collision shortly after 7 a.m. near Cedar Avenue, where the man was crossing the westbound lanes when he was hit. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, and authorities have not identified the man who was killed, according to ABC30 Fresno.
Reports differ slightly on exactly where the crash happened. The Fresno Bee's account and GV Wire both place the collision near the Cedar Avenue onramp, which Caltrans confirmed was closed to westbound traffic Monday morning following the crash. But yourcentralvalley.com reported the man was hit on Highway 180 near Highway 41, citing the California Highway Patrol.
Driver Cooperating, No Signs of Impairment
The Cedar Avenue onramp stayed closed for at least an hour following the crash, per the Fresno Bee's reporting. CHP told kmph.com that officers first received a call about the collision around 7:09 a.m. That station reported the driver was behind the wheel of a GMC Terrain, traveling west on Highway 180, when the vehicle struck the man, whom officers believed had been walking on the highway.
Officers do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, kmph.com reported, and the investigation remained ongoing as of Monday. No further details on the pedestrian's identity, the exact point of impact, or why he was on the freeway have been released.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Fresno Freeways
The stretch of Highway 180 near Cedar Avenue has seen pedestrian trouble before. A pedestrian was hit and injured at the Highway 180 Cedar Avenue off-ramp back in August, and another was struck by a vehicle at Cedar and Herndon avenues in late July, both according to earlier Fresno Bee and yourcentralvalley.com reporting.
In 2024, more than 1,100 pedestrian deaths, or 15% of all such fatalities, happened on freeways and interstates, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. The same report found that 62.2% of pedestrian deaths that year occurred where there was no sidewalk, and 76.5% of fatalities with known lighting conditions happened after dark.
Nationally, GHSA projects that drivers struck and killed 6,732 people walking in the United States in 2025, a 7% decrease from the year before and the third straight annual decline. Even with that drop, the organization notes pedestrian deaths remain 5% above pre-pandemic levels. Fresno's own Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted by the City Council in May, describes the city as facing a broader traffic safety crisis, citing 217 fatal and 629 severe-injury crashes on city streets, according to the City of Fresno.
