Anaheim man, 24, hit by big rig possibly after thrown from motorcyle in Sun Valley

A big rig struck and killed a 24-year-old Anaheim man who was down in the middle of the I-5 Freeway in Sun Valley late Sunday night, possibly after he was thrown from his motorcycle in a separate crash, authorities said.

The semi’s driver did not stop.

Another man was severely injured on the freeway as well.

The man was killed on the southbound side near the Lankershim Boulevard offramp when the big rig hit him around 10:40 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

He died at the scene. The man had not been publicly identified as of Monday, said Officer Vicente Ramirez, a CHP spokesman.

CHP detectives believe at least two men were out on the freeway right before the big rig struck the 24-year-old.

Both likely were down in lanes following a previous crash.

But CHP officials did not have details of how many vehicles were involved in the earlier crash, or what kind, though Ramirez said detectives believe the fatal victim had been riding a motorcycle.

The big rig, described as having a red cab, was driving in a darkly lit area of the freeway when it apparently hit the victim, Ramirez said.

“The big rig was in a a dark portion of the freeway, and there’s a question of whether he even knew that he had hit someone,” Ramirez said.

It’s not clear if the other victim, a 22-year-old man, was hit by the big rig or suffered injuries in the earlier crash. He was taken with major injuries to a hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

CHP officials asked anyone with information about the crash to call the Altadena station at 626-296-8100.