Man dies after being hit by car

Heather Rawlyk

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 | 9:44 a.m.

A man was killed Monday night after he was struck by a car while trying to cross Tropicana Avenue at Topaz Street.

Police had received numerous phone calls earlier that evening from drivers who saw a group of drunk men dancing and causing a disturbance on the sidewalk of Tropicana Avenue in front of an Arby's restaurant, according to Metro Sgt. Frank Weigand.

At about 6 p.m., the men crossed six lanes of traffic across Tropicana Avenue, with one of the men trailing behind, he said.

The man had reached the south sidewalk in front of a convenience store when he stumbled and fell into the right travel lane.

Ralph Siano, 61, of Las Vegas, was driving his 1989 Honda Accord in that lane and was unable to stop the car before striking the man, knocking him to the ground with the right front end of his car's bumper.

The pedestrian, who is believed to be in his late 20s, was taken by ambulance to Desert Springs Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Authorities had not released his name this morning.

This is the 91st traffic death this year in Metro's jursidiction of unincorporated Clark County and Las Vegas.

Siano was not injured in the accident, police said.

The men who had been walking with the victim did not stop to help and continued walking down the sidewalk, out of sight, Weigand said.

"They may have been so drunk they didn't even know they left their friend behind," he said. "They just walked away into the night."