A fatal accident involving a pedestrian and a motor vehicle happened earlier this week in Phoenix, claiming the life of the pedestrian. According to the source article, the wreck occurred at night after 9 p.m. The pedestrian was dressed in dark clothing and wandered into the street. A woman driving a vehicle struck the pedestrian, and despite the best efforts of emergency responders, he died as a result of his injuries.
The police are investigating the crash, but they have apparently ruled out the possibilities of the driver speeding or operating her vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. She has not been charged for the accident.
It appears this may have been exactly that — an accident, albeit a very unfortunate one. The source article certainly doesn’t make it seem like the pedestrian was particularly aware of his surroundings, and it certainly didn’t help that he was wearing dark clothing at night while crossing a street.
Still, the investigation needs to run its course. A man lost his life here, and some context needs to be provided by investigators before we can comment further.
More than anything, this story is a reminder about the nature of road safety for pedestrians. They need to be just as vigilant in preventing auto-pedestrian accidents as motor vehicle drivers. Pardon the pun, but it’s a two-way street. Drivers and pedestrians alike need to take every precaution possible to reduce these terrible accidents. If we don’t observe road safety rules to the best of our ability, innocent people will be suffer serious, catastrophic or even fatal injuries.
Source: azfamily.com, “Phoenix accident leaves one man dead,” Steve Ryan, March 11, 2014