A pedestrian struck by a truck on Highway 101 in Orcutt last week died due to his injuries, but his name has not been released since authorities are still working to locate his next of kin.

The 60-year-old man from San Diego, whose name had not been released, was hit by a 2020 Ford F150 truck early Friday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The truck’s driver, a 60-year-old man from Costa Mesa, was traveling north on Highway 101 south of Clark Avenue at approximately 65 mph when he observed a pedestrian walking near the broken white lines on the northbound lanes toward the center median.

The driver turned the truck’s steering wheel in an attempt to avoid hitting the man, but the left front and side of the vehicle struck the pedestrian, the CHP said. 

The truck’s driver immediately pulled over and called 9-1-1, and the injured pedestrian was found in the center median with major injuries. 

The injured man was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. 

Twenty minutes before the man was struck, CHP dispatchers had broadcast a report about a pedestrian walking on Highway 101 south of Clark Avenue.

Witnesses also said the pedestrian appeared dazed and confused and was in the center median that separates the northbound and southbound lanes of the freeway, the CHP said.

As Santa Maria CHP officers responded to the scene, they received reports that the pedestrian has been hit.

In addition to CHP officers, Santa Barbara County firefighters and American Medical Response ambulance personnel were dispatched to the incident.

The vehicle’s driver was not injured and was not under influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the collision, according to the CHP. 

The CHP is still investigating the incident, and it is unknown whether the pedestrian was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time, officials said. 

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.