Pedestrian hit, killed on Hwy. 1 By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review December 8, 2004 Residents along Highway 1 have long complained of the dangers along the coast's major traffic artery and those fears were realized again Friday with the death of a pedestrian near the intersection of Spindrift Way. Antonio Garcia, 62, was returning home from his workday when his life was cut short in an instant. "I didn't know if (he) was dead," said a family member, who came to the scene of the accident immediately after he heard the news. "When I got there they told me, 'yeah he's dead,'" said the man, who wished to remain anonymous. "I don't understand," he said. "The traffic at that time is slow." The family member said some friends dropped Garcia off on the highway at about 6:35 p.m. He was walking a single block along the highway toward his neighborhood when he was hit, the family member said. "He was walking - no problem," he said, adding that Garcia didn't have to cross the highway at any time. However, police believe that Garcia was crossing the highway. Cmdr. Lon Waxstein of the Half Moon Bay Police Department said Garcia was struck in the northbound lane as he attempted to cross the two-lane highway. Waxstein added that the cause of the accident is still being investigated. Annabelle Curtis, a 75-year-old Moss Beach woman, driving a 1997 Ford Taurus, allegedly struck Garcia just before 6:37 p.m. Curtis suffered no physical injuries. Waxstein said Garcia died instantly. Police declined to comment on details of the accident, including Curtis' speed at the time of the crash. "I can't tell you any of that until we get it approved," Waxstein said. The family member still has many unanswered questions. "I don't know," he said. "We don't have answers to the police report." The family member said he frequents the same intersection enough to know that it's always busy around that time. "It's too much traffic," he said, "We need more safety in the streets," he said, fighting back tears. "For me now it's too late. I hope there's no next time for somebody else." Garcia made his home in Half Moon Bay for more than 20 years, while his wife stayed behind in Mexico. Family members have told Garcia's wife of the death and are working with the Mexican embassy to get permission for her to enter the United States. The family is also making arrangements for Garcia's body to be taken to Mexico once his wife arrives. Traffic-related deaths occur regularly around the stretch of highway between Half Moon Bay and Devil's Slide. In the past, pedestrian deaths have led to the installation of more traffic lights along the dangerous highway, but residents remain divided over the new lights, including those planned for the future. Just a half-mile south of the latest accident, residents in the Terrace Avenue neighborhood have joined together to oppose a traffic light planned for the intersection at Highway 1. They say a new traffic light at Terrace Avenue will cause more traffic jams and do little more than move the bottleneck. Home