Police said the accident happened just before 6:30 a.m. The first car that initially hit the victim stopped, and that driver has been identified.
The victim, identified as 74-year-old Amelia Ordona, was thrown into the opposite side of the road and was hit by several other vehicles. Police said Ordona had already been killed when she was hit by the other vehicles.
"From witness statements, after the initial collision, the body in the roadway was struck at least six times by people southbound on Pacific Coast Highway," said Sgt. Phillip Brooks of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
Brooks said two of those vehicles stopped, but the rest did not. Police are trying to identify those vehicles.
Ordona's body was dragged about 150 feet. She was declared dead at the scene. Police said the first vehicle that hit Ordona also brushed her 75-year-old sister. She was transported to a hospital in Santa Monica with minor injuries.
Ordona and her sister worked as live-in caretakers at a Malibu home. The sister's husband said the two women had just finished their weekend shift and were crossing PCH to catch a bus when the accident occurred.
PCH was closed in both directions for about five hours during the morning commute, backing up traffic for several miles. The crime scene is extensive because of the gruesome nature of the accident. Police said PCH won't be reopened until the afternoon.
Authorities do not believe the first driver who hit Ordona was under the influence, and there is no crosswalk in the area. It is unclear whether anyone will be charged in the fatal accident, but investigation is ongoing.
"At this location in a highway, it's mostly incumbent upon a pedestrian to cross safe. So, we have to do a little more investigation to figure out who is at fault here," said Brooks.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is asking the drivers who hit the body after the initial impact and any other witnesses to call the Malibu-Lost Hills station at (818) 878-1808.
