Unknown pedestrian killed on I-275

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 19, 2006

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TAMPA - An unidentified pedestrian was struck by a truck and killed while attempting to cross Interstate 275 Wednesday afternoon.

Tomas Perez, 54 of Tampa was driving north in a 2001 Isuzu box truck when, for an unknown reason, a young man stepped into his path just north of the Hillsborough exit.

The truck hit the pedestrian, and he died at the scene. The lane and the entrance ramp were shut down for an hour and a half while Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigated the crash. The driver was not charged. The pedestrian was not carrying identification, said FHP spokesman Trooper Larry Coggins.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner will try to identify him using fingerprints. He is described as a white male in his late 20s to mid 30s.