Pedestrian fatally struck by vehicle in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco police are investigating a tragic accident this morning on busy Sloat Boulevard near the zoo. A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car.

Sloat Boulevard was closed for a couple hours after the accident, but has since reopened. Police are still investigating exactly what happened, but say it was dark out and the victim was not in a crosswalk when he was hit.

Police say a man in his 70s was likely on his morning walk when he was hit by a car and killed. The accident happened on Sloat Boulevard at 43rd Avenue about a quarter mile from the San Francisco Zoo. The driver was heading west on Sloat, towards the ocean when police say the man tried walking across lanes of traffic.

"He lived right here on Sloat Boulevard. I guess he crossed, he left his house and he crossed the street kind of mid-block. Preliminary, it looks like he didn't use the crosswalk," said SFPD Lt. Nick Rainsford.

He was hit and killed. Police were called just before 7 a.m. The driver stopped -- she's shaken up -- but cooperating with the investigation. Rainsford says it appears she was driving the speed limit.

"We think the factor was probably the light because it was about dusk at that time. It was just getting daylight. And down by the beach sometimes it can be a little darker because of the fog," said Rainsford.

Rainsford says this area is well-lit -- with crosswalks, stop signs, and traffic lights. Police said they don't respond to accidents in this area often. The victim's name has not been released.