The man killed crossing highway on foot was from Los Banos, authorities confirm

A pedestrian killed this week when he was struck by a tractor-trailer big rig crossing Highway 165 has been identified as a 41-year-old Los Banos man.

Miguel Angel Martinez was crossing Highway 165, north of Phillips Road, around 10:38 a.m. Monday when he was struck by a 2012 Freightliner, driven by Carlos Hilario Soto, a 47-year-old Delhi resident, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Martinez’s name was confirmed Tuesday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

CHP investigators said remains unclear why Martinez was crossing the highway on foot Monday morning. He was struck in the southbound lane of traffic and died at the scene, officers said in a news release.

The roadway was closed for several hours while emergency responders investigated the scene.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to have been factors in the crash, investigators said.