Local police are investigating a deadly Kansas City pedestrian accident that took place last week on Interstate 29 at Tiffany Springs Parkway, according to KCTV 5.
The fatal accident happened shortly after 4:00 a.m. According to police reports, a 23-year-old woman attempted to run across I-29 and was hit by a vehicle before making it to the other side. After the first strike, she was hit by a number of vehicles afterwards.
Our Kansas City personal injury attorneys understand that pedestrians face an increase risk of injury when traveling near busy roads with speeding traffic. Motorists are urged to keep an eye out for our on-foot travelers as they don’t stand much of a chance against motor-vehicles. A recent report, released by Transportation for America, illustrates the need for safer roadways and more driver awareness to help prevent these fatal incidents. According to this report, roughly 47,000 pedestrians died on our nation’s roadways during 2000 to 2009.
The first driver to strike the Topeka pedestrian stopped and has reportedly cooperated with the local police’s investigation.
After the accident, the northbound lanes of the Interstate were shut down and didn’t open again until nearly 6:30 a.m.
There are no reports as to why the pedestrian was on the highway.
The recent pedestrian report takes a look back at the fatal pedestrian accidents that occurred between 2000 and 2009. This is the most recent data available. Transportation For America also reports that more than 688,000 pedestrians were injured while walking on our roadways during these ten years. Now, Dangerous by Design 2011 will take the reports and examine the problem in an attempt to create possible solutions to help reduce these serious and fatal accidents.
This new report provides a plethora of features, including a state-specific factsheet for each of the states and interactive maps that allow you to see these occurrences in your community.
These interactive maps illustrate that most of these fatal pedestrian accidents happen along busy arterial roads. These are the roads that are dangerous by design as federal funding coordinates their construction. These streets are designed to make the flow of traffic smoother and faster — construction occurs with little consideration for pedestrian travel.
It is our tax dollars that fund the design and construction of these roadways. These funds account for less than 1.5 percent of the current federal transportation outlay. Currently, Congress is contemplating eliminating even this small contribution to pedestrian safety; apparently Congress thinks there are more important issues to spend this money on than pedestrian safety.
According to the Dangerous by Design analysis, there were more than 800 pedestrians killed in Missouri alone between 2000 and 2009. These fatalities cost the state more than $344 million. According to the Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI), our state ranks 17th out of 50 states.
The most dangerous areas is Missouri for pedestrians are as follows:
area/pedestrian deaths
- Kansas City, 234
- Springfield, 49
- Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, 46
- Columbia, 19
- Joplin, 19
- St. Joseph, 16
- Jefferson City, 10
If you’d like to contact Congress to urge them to keep the federal funding to help reduce the number of fatal pedestrian accidents, you are urged to speak up to make a difference.
If your or a loved one has been involved in a pedestrian accident in St. Louis, Kansas City, Overland Park or any of the surrounding areas, contact the Kansas City Injury Lawyers of Horn Law to schedule a consultation as we can arrange for hospital, home, or other convenient meeting locations throughout Missouri and Kansas. Call 816-795-7500.
