Antioch Hit-and-Run Kills Woman, 23, in Crosswalk Near Highway 4

Published: September 2, 2026
By: Yaghmai Law Firm, APC

(Antioch, CA) – A 23-year-old woman who was struck in a crosswalk by a driver who fled the scene last month has died of her injuries, and Antioch police say they are still searching for the person responsible.

According to police, the woman was walking home from a BART station after work at about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 21 when she was hit by a vehicle. She was taken to a hospital as a Jane Doe, and her relatives were not notified until the next day. After nearly a week on life support, she died last Thursday, just three days before what would have been her 24th birthday.

Antioch police said the vehicle came off Highway 4 and ran a red light, struck the woman, then hit a center median. Investigators said the driver left a Chevy Tahoe abandoned a few blocks away on Larkspur Drive. Police indicated that speed was a factor in the collision.

Investigators said they have identified a person of interest, an Antioch man captured on surveillance video, but had not released his name or made an arrest. "We do have a person of interest," said Antioch Police Officer James Desiderio. "A warrant has been authored for them, we are just working on trying to locate this individual." The woman's family has organized a fundraiser to return her body to Mexico for burial, and relatives noted she was an organ donor.

Analysis of the Antioch Crosswalk Collision

When a pedestrian is struck and the driver leaves the scene, investigators and any later civil claim examine several overlapping duties. California drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing within a marked or unmarked crosswalk under Vehicle Code section 21950, while that same statute requires pedestrians to use due care. Because police have said speed may have played a role, the Basic Speed Law under Vehicle Code section 22350 could also be relevant if evidence shows a vehicle was traveling faster than was reasonable for the conditions.

A driver who is involved in a crash that injures or kills a person is required to stop immediately and provide identifying information and reasonable assistance under Vehicle Code section 20001 and Vehicle Code section 20003; leaving the scene of an injury or fatal crash is a felony. Where a statute enacted for safety is violated and that violation is a proximate cause of the kind of harm the law was meant to prevent, a civil court may apply the negligence-per-se presumption under Evidence Code section 669. Any such determination depends entirely on facts investigators have not finished developing.

In a civil case, the general duty of ordinary care is set by Civil Code section 1714, and California allocates any non-economic damages in proportion to each party's share of fault under Civil Code section 1431.2. When a person dies, close family members may pursue a wrongful-death claim under Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60, and claims that belonged to the decedent may survive under Code of Civil Procedure section 377.30.

What Families Can Do

When a driver flees, families are not necessarily without options. Even if the responsible driver is never located, uninsured-motorist coverage under Insurance Code section 11580.2 may allow recovery from an available policy after an unidentified or hit-and-run driver. It helps to obtain the police collision report, preserve any surveillance or dashcam footage before it is overwritten, keep medical and funeral records, and be mindful that a wrongful-death or injury claim in California generally must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Were you, or someone you love, involved in this crash? A California pedestrian accident attorney at Yaghmai Law Firm can explain your options and deal with the insurance companies for you. Call or text (888) 800-6731 or request a free case review.

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About the Author

Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney of Yaghmai Law Firm, APC. California State Bar No. 298487. Speaks English, French, and Persian. The firm represents personal injury clients throughout Southern California – consultations by phone, text, or video, no office visits required.

This post was assembled with AI assistance from publicly reported news sources cited below. All California Vehicle Code references were verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Facts were re-checked via additional web searches before publication. This post is based on initial news reports and may be updated as new facts develop. Nothing in this article is legal advice. Yaghmai Law Firm, APC is not associated with the investigating agencies and does not represent any party named in this post unless explicitly stated.

Sources:
1. NBC Bay Area – Police search for driver in fatal Antioch hit-and-run