This month, three women were seriously injured when they attempted to cross Westheimer after leaving a nearby restaurant and were all simultaneously hit by a car. The three women were taken to the hospital after being found by first responders laying in the road, one remains in critical condition. Police believe all will likely recover. Surprisingly, the driver was not even cited for the crash despite hitting three people.
While it’s surprising there was no citation after, Houston transportation advocates say they’re not surprised by the crash as pedestrian crashes are on the rise. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reports that in 2021, there were more than 5,300 crashes involving pedestrians in Texas, leaving 841 people dead. That was a statewide increase of 15% over 2021.
The number of pedestrian deaths on Houston roads specifically also continue to climb this year compared to 2022. In 2022, there were a total of 115 pedestrian fatalities in Houston alone. In the greater Harris County area there were 163 pedestrian deaths in 2021. These numbers are staggering and locals blame the lack of adequate pedestrian infrastructure and historical prioritization of vehicular transportation in Houston.
With Houston’s lack of adequate infrastructure for pedestrian safety, this leads to increasing number of injuries and death. According to AAA, a person struck by a car going 42 miles per hour has a 50% chance of dying. Those odds increase to a 75% chance of dying when the car is traveling at 50 miles per hour and a 90% chance of dying if hit by a car going 58 miles per hour.
If you or a loved one has been severely injured or killed during an auto-pedestrian collision, please contact an attorney at Abraham Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll free at 1‑800-870-9584.