The San Diego County Medical Examiners Office (ME) has identified two El Cajon men who were hit and killed on the shoulder of Interstate 8 Sunday morning.
The ME said that Kenneth Riddle, 46, and Lamont Taylor, 35, were stopped on the side of eastbound I-8 near El Cajon Boulevard at around 1:30 a.m. when another driver hit them.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Taylor initially lost control of his Chevy Impala and collided with the center divider at around 1:20 a.m. His car came to a stop in the second lane of the freeway and Riddle saw it as he drove by and pulled over on the right shoulder.
Riddle got out of his car and went back toward the crash to see if Taylor need help. The CHP said the two of them were standing in the first lane of the freeway when they were hit by another car.
Emergency responders who were already en route to the scene before the two men were hit arrived and pronounced them both dead at the scene.
Another Good Samaritan who pulled over on the left shoulder was not involved in the second collision.
NBC 7 spoke to friends and family of Riddle on Monday who described him as big-hearted.
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Riddle's neighbor, Margaret Rogers, told NBC 7 that he was recently married but was in the process of completing Catholic faith formation classes so that he could join the church and have an official Catholic wedding with his wife.
She recalled a conversation she had with Riddle just a few weeks ago about his faith journey.
"I was deeply touched and impressed by this man because this man showed me that he was fighting, and that he was seeking good counsel," Rogers said.
An online fundraising page was set up by friends of Riddle asking for donations to help Riddle's wife and daughter.
CHP officers said alcohol or drugs may be a factor in the pedestrian crash.
