The pedestrian who was killed after being struck by a vehicle near the downtown Union Avenue underpass has been identified as 58-year-old Kenneth Foster of Bakersfield.

Sgt. Bill Foster with the Bakersfield Police Department says first responders found Foster face-down at the scene at around 5:10 p.m. Saturday.

“Upon arrival, officers located a pedestrian down in the roadway,” Ware said. “The preliminary investigation shown that the pedestrian had major injuries to his body.”

Ware says police aren’t sure why Foster was in the middle of the roadway.

“It appears that the pedestrian was struck in the middle of the lanes – he was not in a crosswalk,” Ware said. “Also, it appears he was in a very dark area of the roadway.”

Foster died after being transported to Kern Medical Center. The investigation forced a closure of a portion of Union for several hours.

Police are searching for the driver. They’re urging people with more information on the incident to call BPD at (661) 327-7111.

– Anthony Pollreisz