A University of San Diego student lost his life early Wednesday morning after he was struck by a marked San Diego Police Department vehicle on Linda Vista Road, just steps from the campus he called home.
Police say the crash happened around 1:30 a.m. as an officer drove westbound on Linda Vista Road near Goshen Street, an area lined with student housing. The officer reported feeling an impact and turned the vehicle around, finding a man lying in the roadway.
Medics rushed the student to a nearby hospital, but doctors could not save him. He was pronounced dead at about 3:35 a.m. Authorities have withheld his name while they notify his family.
A Familiar Crossing Point Turns Tragic
The University of San Diego confirmed the loss in a statement, saying the campus community was heartbroken over the death of one of its own. School officials added that, out of respect for the family, the student’s identity would not be released for now.
Neighbors and fellow students say the stretch of road where the crash occurred sees heavy foot traffic at all hours. A nearby staircase serves as a popular shortcut between off-campus housing and the university, and many students cross Linda Vista Road in spots without marked crosswalks.
One resident who lives near the scene and uses that same crossing every day said it is common to see students hurrying across the road late at night after studying in the library. He said he personally knew the young man who died, having lived near him during their freshman year in the dorms.
Police have not yet determined why the student entered the roadway at the time of the crash. Investigators from the SDPD Traffic Division and the Collision Investigation Bureau are continuing to look into exactly what happened that night.
Warnings Ignored for Nearly a Decade
The tragedy has reignited frustration among residents who say safety upgrades for this stretch of road were proposed years ago but never built.
A 2016 city study on transportation needs in Linda Vista recommended installing a highly visible ladder-style crosswalk and a pedestrian-activated signal beacon near the very staircase students use to reach campus.
The project carried an estimated cost of about $111,000, yet it was never funded or constructed.
Today, only bollards and a chain link fence sit at the base of the stairs, installed to discourage pedestrians from crossing at that exact spot.
Residents who moved into the neighborhood within the past several months say vehicles regularly travel through the area at high speed. They say students often take their chances crossing anyway, since there are no safe walkways connecting the housing area to campus.
NBC San Diego reported it reached out to the city for comment on why the recommended safety improvements were never put in place, but had not received a response as of publication.
The roadway was closed for several hours overnight while crews investigated the scene. It reopened around 6:30 a.m. once the involved patrol vehicle had been towed away.
The officer involved was not injured. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the SDPD Traffic Division at 858-495-7800.
