PCSO: Deputy runs over, kills pedestrian sitting in middle of road

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash after a deputy struck a pedestrian sitting in the middle of a road, killing him.

Around 12:50 a.m. Sunday morning, Deputy Lira-Rangel, 33, was traveling southbound on 49th Street North in Lealman.

As he approached 58th Avenue North, a woman traveling northbound in a red pickup truck pointed to an area in front of where the deputy was traveling, “as if she was attempting to alert him to something,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputy Lira-Rangel, who had turned his attention to the woman, suddenly felt a bump in the road.

The deputy got out of his car and found a 73-year-old man lying in the middle lane of the road.

Deputies said a witness saw the man sitting in the southbound median lane of 49th Street right before the incident. They described him as being alert, but confused.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Officials said speed didn’t appear to be a factor in the incident, and it is unknown if the victim was impaired.

This remains an ongoing investigation.

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