A man who was killed on Interstate 280 in Woodside on Sunday morning (July 21) had likely stopped to help victims of a crash, the California Highway Patrol said.
The man has been identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office as Kirk Michael Peterson, 32, of Redwood City.
Officers first responded to reports of a crash involving multiple vehicles on southbound I-280 north of Woodside Road at about 2:40 a.m., CHP Officer Art Montiel said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the 25-year-old driver of a black Honda allowed his car to clip the rear of a Toyota SUV, causing the Toyota to lose control and strike the center divide, Montiel said. Two people in the SUV suffered minor injuries.
Immediately after the crash, a witness in a Jeep pulled over on the right shoulder and got out of his vehicle, apparently to assist the crash victims, Montiel said.
As the man crossed the freeway, he was struck by an oncoming Infiniti SUV and killed, according to the CHP.
I-280 was closed for around three hours. The driver of the Honda, who was later identified as Charles Miranda, of Vallejo, was arrested by the CHP for suspected drunk driving.
Authorities ask anyone who witnessed the incident to call the CHP at (650) 369-6261.
He was a Good Samaritan and didn’t deserve to die that way.
Why do people think that they can dash across lanes in front of on-coming traffic? Doesn’t everyone know that it is difficult to judge distance and speed for objects traveling towards you?
I do.
Especially at almost 3 AM, in the dark!
What was an eighteen-yr-old doing out at 3 a.m., driving an SUV?
A terrible and heartbreaking tragedy. This man is a hero.
My sincerest condolences to his family & friends for their loss.
We were recently stranded on an Idaho interstate, and a man pulled over to ask if we had needed help. We had already called AAA who also called the highway patrol, so we were buckled in, on the side of the narrow shoulder, and just waiting for the tow truck. No way did I want someone else to risk their life trying to change our tire on the interstate side! (I wish he had approached from the passenger side, it made me nervous enough for him approaching from the driver side, because too many people were not switching into the far lane and were whizzing by at 70 mph.
If we had been stuck on the road and he had flares to put out, I would have been more than happy to ask for help. But I did not want to endanger him when the AAA tow truck was (supposed) to arrive soon. It turned out the AAA roadside assistance involved changing our tire rather than towing — on the interstate side! — but at least his giant vehicle was parked behind us, at a distance, and I suppose it helped guide more people to take the far lane when they passed.
This is so sad. I realized from our situation that I did not feel like I had a very good idea of the right thing to do when stranded on the interstate like that. There was no way for us to exit the vehicle and get out of the way as there was barbed wire fencing not far from the shoulder, and no exit close enough for us to slowly make our way on the shoulder to. We just sat buckled in the car, which is what I remembered being told to do. But if someone needs assistance in the middle of a road because of an accident… It’s too bad he did not have flares….
Who cares if an 18 year old is out at 3AM. They’re an adult. That is none of your business.