LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An 18-year-old from California is dead after being struck by a drunk driver in the southern Las Vegas valley on Friday morning, and his death has been ruled as an accident by the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the collision occurred around 12:58 a.m. on Las Vegas Boulevard and Arby Avenue, near Harry Reid International Airport. Police were notified of the incident after someone called 911 to report the collision.
Evidence at the scene indicated a 2011 Dodge Durango was traveling south on Las Vegas Boulevard in the right-most travel lane approaching Arby Avenue. At the same time, a pedestrian was crossing Las Vegas Boulevard outside a marked or implied crosswalk north of Arby Avenue.
Police say the collision occurred when the pedestrian entered the path of travel of the Dodge. Arriving medical personnel determined the pedestrian was beyond medical resuscitation, and he was pronounced deceased at the collision scene.
The Dodge's driver — identified as Christopher Thompson, 37, of Las Vegas — remained at the collision scene, showed signs of impairment, and was placed under arrest and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
At the time of the crash, police did not count the 18-year-old's death as a traffic-related fatality. Police said that Clark County Officer of the Coroner and Medical Examiner had to determine the cause and manner of death.
On Oct. 25, police said the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner ruled the pedestrian's death as an accident.
"The death marks the 121st traffic-related fatality in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's jurisdiction for the year 2023," police said.