An 83-year-old pedestrian was killed Friday night when she was struck by a vehicle whose driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal collision, Tucson police say.
The Tucson Police Department gave the following account in a news release:
The pedestrian, Eleanore C. Johnson, was trying to cross North Alvernon Way in the 3000 block, near East Blacklidge Drive, in an implied crosswalk just before 9 p.m.
She was struck by a white 2022 Toyota Tacoma, which continued north on Alvernon and returned to the scene approximately 10 minutes later.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.ย
"The investigation indicated that the driver and passenger from the Tacoma had switched seats before returning to the scene. The driver at the time of the collision was identified as 38-year-old Carlos V. Pina. An officer from the DUI Unit responded to the scene and determined that Mr. Pina was impaired at the time of the crash," police said.ย
Pina was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal collision and child abuse, which stemmed from having a juvenile passenger in the vehicle. The passenger accused of switching seats with Pina faces a charge of hindering prosecution.
Detectives listed failure to yield to a pedestrian and impairment as the major contributing factors of the collision.ย ย
