MEDFORD, Ore. -- A Medford man is dead today as a pedestrian hit by a truck along Interstate 5 in Medford.
Oregon State Police (OSP) report today that 39-year-old Gabriel Escobar died last night after 7pm near mile post 27 in South Medford.
That location is near the I-5 interchange with Barnett Road. OSP says when it responded to a reported vehicle versus pedestrian collision there, its preliminary investigation indicated Escobar had left "from a nearby Fred Meyer store after allegedly shoplifting. Escobar attempted to run across the freeway when he was struck and killed by a commercial motor vehicle traveling northbound in the slow lane."
OSP says the slow lane was closed approximately three hours while the crash investigation was conducted. OSP was assisted by the Jackson County STAR Team, Medford PD, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and ODOT.
