The suspect vehicle, after its driver was tracked down at the corner of Third and N streets. Photos: Andrew Goff.

UPDATE:, 3:28 p.m.: CHP Names Victim in Today’s Fatal Downtown Eureka Hit and Run; Driver Arrested for Felony Vehicular Manslaughter

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UPDATE: 1:30 p.m.: The female pedestrian, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead after she was transported St. Joseph Hospital, according to Officer Martin Abshire of the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the vehicle, who has been identified as 56-year-old Larry Nielsen of Blue Lake, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter, though Officer Abshire said Nielsen may have been suffering an “acute medical condition” at the time of the collisions. 

The victim is believed to have been in the crosswalk on 4th at S street when she was struck by Nielsen’s 2012 Toyota Tacoma. The truck struck two vehicles before hitting the pedestrian, according to the CHP. An out-of-town driver chased Nielsen and detained him, Abshire said.

Nielsen was given a series of field sobriety tests and taken to St. Joseph Hospital for further examination.

—Ryan Burns

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Original post:

A woman has been taken to the hospital with severe injuries after she was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Eureka’s Fourth Street, just before the Samoa Bridge turnoff.

Eureka police officers are still investigating the crash, which took place at about 11:15 this morning.

The driver of the gray Toyota pickup suspected in the crime was tracked down to the corner of Third and N streets, where he was detained and given field sobriety tests.

Two other people say the driver struck their vehicles with his gray Toyota pickup before hitting the female pedestrian and fleeing. One, Elizabeth Cox, told the Outpost at the scene that the driver actually struck her twice as they were both headed into Eureka from the north — once from behind, later from the side.

“It was like he was coming back for seconds,” Cox said.

Another man, David Cranmer, said that the driver then plowed into his pickup at a high rate of speed, according to numerous witnesses, and took off again.

Traffic is flowing on southbound 101 while investigators continue to examine the scene. We’re told that the California Highway Patrol is leading the investigation.

We’ll update when we know more.

Police conduct a field sobriety test on the driver of the suspect vehicle.

Elizabeth Cox’s car.

David Cranmer’s pickup.