Deadly Hit And Run Marks Third Incident Near Same Intersection

A 64-year-old man struck and killed by a hit-and- run motorist in Palm Springs was the third pedestrian to die in that area in as many weeks.

The fatal hit-and-run collision was reported at 8:01 p.m. Monday on Ramon Road, west of Sunrise Way, Palm Springs police Sgt. Paul Abshire said.

Police found the man — the coroner later identified him as Ralph Linwood Leighton — in the roadway, Abshire said. Paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead.

The vehicle that struck him was described as a red, maroon or black compact car, possibly a Toyota or Nissan, Abshire said. It was last seen going south on Sunrise Way from Ramon Road.

The car sustained significant damage to the front passenger side, Abshire said.

A witness described the driver as Latino, about 45, clean-shaven with dark hair, Abshire said. The witness told police he heard a boom, then saw the driver back up and speed away. The victim apparently had just left a nearby shopping center.

Palm Springs police Sgt. Kyle Stjerne urged anyone with information about the driver and the car to call police at (760) 323-8115 or (760) 327- 1441.

Police recently announced a stepped-up enforcement action against jaywalking in the Ramon Road/Sunrise Way area.

“It’s very discouraging to see so many pedestrians struck in so small an area,” Abshire said.

Jesus Cardova Diaz, 50, was hit by a car and killed on Thanksgiving night while crossing Sunrise. Victor Zubel, 43, was fatally injured Dec. 4 while lying in Ramon Road’s center two-way, left-hand turn lane, about a block west of Sunrise, near Calle Amigos.

According to police, Zubel had been cited previously for jaywalking and his friends had called 911 earlier in the day, concerned that he intended to harm himself.

Both men were believed to be homeless. Many local homeless people seek shelter in Sunrise Park, adjacent the Ramon-Sunrise intersection.