Teenage pedestrian struck by car on highway near Atwater, dies

A 15-year-old Atwater boy was killed Wednesday when he was struck by a car on Highway 99, just south of Applegate Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The teenager’s identity was not immediately available pending notification of his family.

A 2015 Hyundai Elantra struck the teenage pedestrian around 5:22 p.m. on the highway, Officer Moises Onsurez told the Sun-Star.

Why the teenager was on foot on the highway was not immediately clear, authorities said.

The driver of the Hyundai, whose name was not immediately available, did not appear to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Onsurez said.

The fast lane of traffic on southbound Highway 99 remained closed as of 7:15 p.m. and traffic was slow moving. There was no timetable available for when the lane would reopen.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Teenage pedestrian struck by car on highway near Atwater, dies."