Pedestrian Killed in U.S. 19 Collision

A Palm Harbor man is dead after being struck during his attempt to walk across U.S. Highway 19 Friday evening.

John Paul Guekunst, 41, died of his injuries on the scene, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. 

The driver of the vehicle, Shannon M. Johnson, 22, of Belleair, was traveling north in a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse in the inside center lane on U.S. 19. Guekunst was walking across the split, eight-lane highway from east to west just before 7:30 p.m., according to a preliminary report from Florida Highway Patrol.

Johnson's vehicle struck Guekunst head-on just as Johnson's vehicle was approaching Highlands Boulevard in Palm Harbor.  

Guekunst was not in a crosswalk, Florida Highway Patrol reports.

Johnson's Mitsubishi Eclipse sustained $2,500 in damages, authorities estimate. Johnson was wearing a seat belt and blood-alcohol test results are still pending, according to the preliminary FHP report.

The investigation is ongoing.