SUV hits people changing flat tire on Highway 50 in Sacramento; 1 dead, 3 injured

An vehicle drifted out of its lane on U.S. Highway 50 in Sacramento late Sunday night, hitting a group of people helping change a flat tire on the shoulder, killing one person and leaving a second with major injuries, authorities said.

The incident happened at about 11:30 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 west of 34th Street in the Alhambra Triangle area. The California Highway Patrol said a vehicle was in the right shoulder with a flat tire, and the driver's friends had arrived and parked behind the vehicle to help change the tire.

According to the CHP, an SUV drifted from the roadway onto the right shoulder and struck four men that were outside the vehicle. One man was killed and another suffered major injuries; the two others minor injuries and were not taken to the hospital, the CHP said.

A CHP log indicated Caltrans temporarily closed all eastbound lanes of Highway 50, along with the 34th Street offramp and X Street onramp.

The vehicle that struck the pedestrians stayed on scene and the driver was cooperating, the CHP said. 

DUI was not suspected to be a factor in the crash.