South Los Angeles, CA - Keith Williams, 61, Killed While Walking on Santa Monica Freeway

South Los Angeles, CA (August 3, 2026) - At approximately 3:45 a.m. on August 3, Keith Williams, 61, was walking in the westbound lanes of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway near Vermont Avenue when a vehicle struck and killed him, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced Williams dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed his cause of death as blunt trauma.

All westbound lanes were temporarily shut down while investigators worked the scene. The California Highway Patrol has not said why Williams was on the freeway before the Aug. 3 crash, and no information about the driver or the vehicle involved has been released.

This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.

A death on a freeway most people only ever cross by car raises hard questions for the family left behind, and for anyone trying to piece together how it happened.

Fatal Pedestrian Accidents in South Los Angeles, CA

A pedestrian death on a freeway raises liability questions that go beyond who had the right of way at an intersection.

• Who may be liable: the driver who struck him, and any vehicle owner who wasn't also behind the wheel
• What investigators examine: the CHP collision report, dash-cam or freeway camera footage, and any data the vehicle recorded
• Toxicology results, if testing was done, and whether lighting or sightlines near Vermont Avenue played a role
• California's pure comparative fault rule means a family can still recover damages even if Williams is found partly at fault, reduced by that percentage

Wrongful death claims in California must generally be filed within two years of the date of death (CCP § 377.60). For this crash, that deadline falls on August 3, 2028.

Contact Our Los Angeles Wrongful Death Attorneys

Losing a family member on a freeway most of us only ever travel by car leaves more questions than answers, and no family should have to sit with that uncertainty alone.

Our Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys have taken cases like this to trial and recovered more than $30 million in 2025 alone, the kind of track record that carries weight when a driver or their insurer disputes fault in a fatal pedestrian collision.

Freeway camera footage, the CHP collision report, and any data recorded by the vehicle involved tend to disappear or get overwritten fast, so preserving that evidence now matters.

We take cases like this on contingency, so there's nothing owed upfront and no fee unless we recover for your family.

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• $200M+ recovered for clients
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Legal Disclaimer

This page is attorney advertising and is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Incident information is based on publicly available reports and may change as the investigation continues. The Law Offices of Christian Contreras is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any law enforcement or emergency response agency. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and no outcome is promised or implied.