A woman sunbathing at Venice Beach was seriously injured Wednesday when she was hit by a county maintenance worker's truck.
The 49-year-old woman, who was not immediately identified, was lying face down in the sand on Via Marina Peninsula beach around 10:30 a.m. when she was hit by a Nissan Xterra driven by a veteran county employee.
Before the incident, the maintenance worker stopped his vehicle near the woman to survey some debris on the beach and arrange for its removal, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
"She was laying very close to the shoreline. She wasn't in the wet sand, but she was in the dry sand very close to it," said Carol Baker, a spokeswoman for Department of Beaches and Harbors.
- DOWNLOAD: Download the FREE NBCLA News App
Baker said there were other witnesses on the beach at the time.
The driver didn’t see her on the beach and struck her with the vehicle as he attempted to leave, Baker said. He stopped to help once he realized he'd struck someone. His name was not immediately released.
The woman was alert following the incident, and was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where she was listed in serious condition.
Los Angeles Police Department investigators responded to the scene, and the driver was questioned and later released.
The Department of Beaches and Harbors said it will continue to review the incident.