Officers say it happened on Clinton at Bethel, north of Sanger just before 8 am.
[Ads /]
Investigators say the woman, later identified as 51-year-old Ana Ortega of Sanger, was walking her dog before the crash.
As Ortega was heading west down a paved roadway, officials say she was hit by a 45-year-old off-duty officer who was driving the opposite direction in a pickup truck.
The officer pulled over and performed CPR on the Ortega until crews arrived.
"That off-duty Clovis police department did attempt to render first aid, including CPR, until he was relieved by first responders arriving at the scene," said California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Salas.
Ortega was declared dead at the scene.
[Ads /]
Investigators later clarified that the dog survived the crash and was taken to the Fresno County SPCA with major injuries.
Officers say the Clovis police officer was driving in his personal vehicle.
Authorities say it does not appear the officer was speeding, but they are looking into the possibility of distracted driving.
"We are looking into all of that as well as possibly distracted from the sun as he was traveling directly into the sun," Salas said. "Again, a lot of factors really early on into this investigation."
One resident who also lives near the scene of the accident says he woke up when the fire truck passed by.
[Ads /]
Mitch Fries knows the family. He said this a sad tragedy and a scary reality check for all drivers.
"It is kind of alarming, we go up and down the street on our golf cart all the time and go for walks. There are some people who go down this street really fast. I'm not really sure what the speed limit is because it's in the country, but we would like people to slow down," Fries said.
Drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be factors in this crash.
The California Highway Patrol says the officer is cooperating with the investigation.
For news updates, follow Brittany Jacob on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.