Concord: Woman arrested for allegedly killing man while distracted behind the wheel

CONCORD — A pedestrian who was struck and killed here by an allegedly distracted driver has been identified by police, and the woman detectives identified as the driver was arrested but released without charges, court records show.

Oswaldo Alvarez Galeano, 56, was struck and killed by a Toyota Matrix as he ran across Meadow Lane in Concord a little before 8 p.m. on Dec. 12, authorities said. A 41-year-old woman, the suspected driver, stayed at the scene and was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. She was later released from custody and has not been charged, court records show.

Galeano, whose memorial was held last week at a Concord restaurant, was running in the middle of the street with no crosswalk or traffic lights nearby, authorities said. The woman reportedly told police she was on her phone and looked up to see a pedestrian, then slammed on her brakes as she struck him.

Police recovered video of the incident showing that she appeared to stop less than a second before the collision. After being detained, she reportedly called family members and again admitted to being on the phone at the time of the crash, authorities said.