Police seek driver who struck, killed man pushing child in stroller

A man died along a busy stretch of South Rainbow Boulevard on Monday, and Las Vegas police were looking for the driver they said struck him while he pushed his granddaughter in a stroller.

The 63-year-old man was pushing the 18-month-old girl on the shoulder of Rainbow, north of Capovilla Avenue, near the intersection at Warm Springs Road, police said, when they were struck by a vehicle at 10:49 a.m.

The pedestrians were hit by a northbound dark grey Honda Civic that left the roadway to pass other vehicles, police said. The driver, described only as a woman as in her 20s or 30s, kept going.

At that corner, there’s an Albertsons, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS and a Bank of America, among other businesses. Both roads have several lanes of traffic and a long stretch between crosswalks.

In spots near undeveloped land, there are no sidewalks.

On Monday afternoon, hours after the fatal collision, employees from nearby businesses were running across the road rather than walking down to a crosswalk.

“There’s always accidents here. Always,” said Linda Molatto, referring to the area in general. She who works at a jeweler across Rainbow from where the pair were struck.

Molatto said she and her coworkers didn’t see the man get hit and didn’t know anything was wrong until they looked out and saw a fire engine and about five other cars.

“How did we not hear that?” she remembered asking herself.

Molatto said she thinks some crashes in the area happen as people change lanes to get on the 215 Beltway, which is just north of the stretch intersection.

Employees at other businesses said they didn’t see the collision, but only the police who arrived afterwards.

The man and his granddaughter were taken to University Medical Center, where he died. The 1-year-old suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital.

Their identities were not immediately available. The Clark County coroner’s office will identify the man after his family has been notified of his death.

Witnesses told police the Honda that struck the pair had a Nevada license plate number that starts with 948, police said. The car has tinted windows and damage to its right, front side.

Police are asking witnesses to call 311 with information. They can also contact police at 702-267-4750 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 and www.crimestoppersofnv.com.

Reporter Cassandra Taloma and photographer Chase Stevens contributed to this story.

Contact reporter Kimberly De La Cruz at 702-383-0381, kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or on Twitter @KimberlyinLV. Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@reviewjournal.com or 702-550-9229. Find him on Twitter: @ethartley.