Bakersfield, California: Girl, 12, Killed and Three Hurt as Car Hits Four Pedestrians on Harris Road
Police say a red Hyundai sedan hit two adults and two children in an unmarked crosswalk near Marin Street on Halloween evening, on a road where officers have recorded 16 crashes with a death or serious injury in five years.
Key points
- A 12-year-old girl died and three other people were hurt on Saturday evening when a car struck four pedestrians on Harris Road in southwest Bakersfield, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.
- Officers were dispatched to the 3800 block of Harris Road, near Marin Street, at about 6:36 p.m. on October 31.
- The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
A 12-year-old girl died and three other people were hurt on Saturday evening when a car struck four pedestrians on Harris Road in southwest Bakersfield, according to the Bakersfield Police Department. KGET 17 and 23ABC both reported the crash, and Bakersfield Now reported the police account of what happened at the intersection.
What happened on Harris Road
Officers were dispatched to the 3800 block of Harris Road, near Marin Street, at about 6:36 p.m. on October 31. Investigators say a man driving an eastbound red Hyundai sedan on Harris Road hit four pedestrians who were walking south within an unmarked crosswalk at the intersection. Two adults and two children were among those struck. All four were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where the 12-year-old girl later died. Police said the other three suffered injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening.
The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police have not yet determined whether speed or impairment played a role in the crash. The Kern County Coroner's Office will release the girl's identity. Until officials release it and local outlets carry it, this story publishes no name.
A road neighbors know well
The collision happened on a stretch of Harris Road where residents have repeatedly pressed for traffic safety improvements. Bakersfield police have recorded 16 crashes on Harris Road over a five-year period that resulted in death or serious injury. In May, three people were killed in a separate crash on the same roadway. A new radar speed sign was recently installed near Harris Road and Summer Springs Drive, just east of Saturday's crash site. Residents have also spoken at City Council meetings urging a road diet, traffic signals and better documentation of crashes on Harris Road, and Saturday's death is the kind of case they have been pointing to.
A hard Halloween weekend in Bakersfield
The Harris Road crash was one of several deadly incidents local outlets worked over Halloween weekend. KGET 17 reported that a 16-year-old boy was killed in a shooting at a large party in southwest Bakersfield, and that a woman died after she was struck by a Bakersfield police officer in a patrol vehicle on White Lane. 23ABC described the span as a deadly Halloween weekend in Bakersfield, with four people dying in separate crashes and shootings. Each of those cases is separate from the Harris Road crash, and police have released no link between them.
What happens next
The investigation into the Harris Road crash is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111. The open questions are the ones police named on Saturday night: how fast the Hyundai was traveling, whether impairment played a role, and what a road with this crash history gets next from the city.
Timeline
- Oct 31, 2026At about 6:36 p.m., Bakersfield officers are dispatched to the 3800 block of Harris Road near Marin Street, where a red Hyundai sedan has hit four pedestrians in an unmarked crosswalk.
- Oct 31, 2026All four pedestrians are taken to a hospital, where the 12-year-old girl later dies. The other three have injuries police say do not appear to be life-threatening, and the driver stays at the scene.
- Nov 1, 2026Bakersfield Now, KGET 17 and 23ABC report the crash and the police account. Police say speed and impairment are still undetermined and the coroner will release the girl's identity.