Man hit by driver in Livermore, CHP warns of impaired driving

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- A man is hanging onto his life after being hit by a driver. That driver has been arrested and is in jail. It happened near the 580 off-ramp in Livermore.

Investigators say the driver of this white Mercedes pulled over on the side of Isabel Avenue in Livermore. His emergency warning lights were still on. The spokesperson for the Livermore Police Department said the driver had gotten out of his car.

"We had a gentleman stopped on the side of the road and he was hit by a passing car," said Lt. John Hurd of the Livermore Police.

The Pleasanton man is 73-years-old and in very critical condition. Police say he was first hit by 42-year-old Jennifer Barbero, driving a black SUV. She was first questioned, and her phone was checked.

"Distracted driving is always a problem everywhere, we see it way too often, but it's way too early to see if it's involved in this case," Hurd told ABC7 News.

Police then conducted a sobriety test. Barbero was arrested of suspicion of driving while under the influence and causing great bodily injury, a felony.

She was eventually taken to Santa Rita Jail.

The Memorial Day weekend is the busiest of the year for road travel. CHP officers are alerting the public that it's "maximum enforcement period."

"In 2016, unfortunately, 39 people were killed over the Memorial Day Weekend," said CHP Officer Daniel Jacowitz.

The CHP says the use of drugs is also a problem this weekend. They will also be looking for signs of impaired driving.