Pedestrian in serious condition after being struck by vehicle

A 72-year-old man who fell into the path of a SUV on a busy roadway in Encinitas remained hospitalized Jan. 26 in serious condition.

A Toyota SUV driven by a 27-year-old Carlsbad woman struck the man as he fell into traffic along the 100 block of North Coast Highway 101 after leaving the nearby Captain Keno’s Restaurant on foot around 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Tomaiko.

The driver told deputies she did not initially know she hit someone, Tomaiko said. Instead, she thought she hit a pothole and stopped a few blocks away when one of her tires went flat. She then walked back toward the restaurant and realized she had hit the man.

Tomaiko said the woman was not suspected of drunken driving.

The injured pedestrian was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla to be treated for serious injuries, according to the sergeant.

It was not immediately clear whether the driver would be cited in connection with the crash.