Pedestrian accidents on are the rise on the state’s roads, according to the Baltimore Sun. One heartbreaking example was the recent death of 82-year-old Consuelo Anglarill, who was struck and killed as she crossed a busy state highway after getting off of a bus.
Another woman was hit and seriously injured at the same intersection where Anglarill died, and this location is among the most dangerous for pedestrians in the state. Over the last two years, 22 people have been hit around this intersection, and another 20 people were struck on one of the other three roads maintained by the state.
This dangerous area is not unknown to the state’s highway administration. Montgomery County flagged the intersection where Anglarill was struck as a hazard for pedestrians back in 2011. Last year, the administration extended the crosswalk signal at the intersection by a few more seconds.
Local residents and pedestrian advocates are saying the state’s highway administration needs to do more, such as reducing crosswalk distances, installing median fences where needed to discourage any jaywalking, and lowering speed limits.
According to Maryland’s statewide data, there are 100 locations along U.S. roads maintained by the state and state roads where five or more pedestrian accidents have occurred over the last two and a half years.
Michael Farrell, a program manager for local pedestrian safety program Street Smart, said that part of the problem is that these areas were built with drivers in mind and not pedestrians. As demographics have changed and more residents take public transportation and drive, pedestrians in these spots find themselves dealing with larger crossing distances, fewer crosswalks and cars moving at fast speeds.
Georgia, the road on which Anglarill was struck, was found to be one of the worst areas for pedestrians’ accidents in the state based on accident statistics, with four clusters of accidents in just one eight-mile stretch. Forty-two pedestrians have been struck in that general area over the last few years, and 20 were seriously injured, along with one death. Another 23 people were hit, with 13 sustaining serious injuries, at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue—another state road—and Georgia.
In Wheaton, the section where Anglarill was killed, cars tend to speed through tight intersections in a jam-packed area with office complexes, retail spots, a major shopping mall and a Metro station. The driver who struck Anglarill as she was crossing was actually going 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. Some areas feature very narrow sidewalks, leaving no real buffer between the pedestrians and the roads.
The issue Maryland faces on its state roads with pedestrian accidents is, unfortunately, a common scenario throughout the country. Many post-war developments were designed to cater to drivers, but these days, more people are walking, biking and using public transportation in these neighborhoods. Maryland’s highway administration says it plans to address these hazardous roads, but it will take some time.
If you have been injured in an auto-pedestrian accident, contact an experienced attorney, like a pedestrian accident lawyer Denver CO can turn to, about your case.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from The Law Offices of Richard J. Banta for their insight into pedestrian accident cases.