Given the amount of people who walk on and near Las Vegas Boulevard at all hours of the day, it’s a minor miracle that there aren’t more auto-pedestrian accidents on the Strip than there are.

But a man was killed early this morning while trying to cross the Strip. The unidentified man, who was said to be in his 50s, was hit by a pickup truck around 5:30am and died from his injuries a few hours later at University Medical Center. The truck fled the scene and is now being sought by Metro Police. They describe it as a white late-model pickup, possibly with a toolbox in the back. Anyone with information about this incident is being urged to contact Metro Police or call Crimestoppers at 702-385-5555.

Here’s the ironic part: the pedestrian probably shouldn’t have been trying to cross the street in the first place. At the intersection of Harmon Avenue, there are pedestrian bridges which span Las Vegas Boulevard that are designed to prevent this type of tragedy. One outlet reported that the victim was jaywalking, but police have not confirmed that.

In any event, it appears that the pickup driver would probably have been blameless had he or she not fled the scene of the accident (this viewpoint was echoed by a Metro Police sergeant). Instead, the driver faces felony hit-and-run charges if and when he or she is found. And although the original auto-pedestrian accident might not have been the fault of the driver, a jury might be influenced by the driver’s actions in any subsequent wrongful death lawsuit which could be filed by the family members of the victim.