The Las Vegas Sun recently reported a pedestrian was tragically killed in an accident near Interstate 80 (“I-80”) in Sparks, Nevada located in Washoe County. The incident happened in the early morning on February 19th. Emergency crews were contacted around six in the morning to attend to the site of the crash. According to authorities, a pedestrian was struck by a train on the east side of Sparks, Nevada. The victim, who was sitting on the tracks just south of I-80 on Vista Boulevard, suffered critical injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation by local authorities.
Earlier in the week, a 60-year-old man experienced life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a train while walking on the railroad tracks in Reno, Nevada. This accident happened near Galletti Way and Barnett Way just before 10am on the Sunday morning before the I-80 tragedy. The man, whose condition has not yet been released, was immediately rushed to the hospital. News reports state that Union Pacific Railroad Police (“UPRP”) are handling the investigation of the incident.
Nevada Pedestrian Accidents Statistics
Like many other states across the nation, Nevada has proactively tried to protect pedestrians and bicyclists sharing the roads with vehicles. While traffic laws are constantly enacted to help guide travelers who are coming through the state of Nevada, each year innocent people become victims of careless and reckless drivers who cause serious and sometimes fatal crashes.
According to the Reno Gazette Journal (“RGJ”), 2019 was one of the deadliest years for pedestrians in the Reno-Sparks area. 16 pedestrians were killed in 2019 in traffic accidents — the highest record in the prior five years — with nine happening inside Reno’s McCarran loop, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety (“NDPS”). RGJ’s investigation revealed that many of these fatal accidents occurred after dark and in areas where there was no pedestrian infrastructure (such as pedestrian crosswalks). When compared to the rest of the nation, however, the Reno-Sparks pedestrian fatality rate is twice the national average and 12% higher than Nevada’s state average according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”).
Only two of the deaths happened during daytime hours, according to NDPS data. There were several commonalities among some of the pedestrian victims, according to local police. This includes the following factors present at the time of the fatal crashes:
- Many victims were over the age of 50;
- Many victims were wearing dark colored clothing;
- Many victims were hit at night in a poorly lit urban area; and
- Many victims had recently registered for services at the Reno community assistance center.
Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
Help ensure that your family has the best possibility of recovering monetary compensation from the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one by hiring aggressive, effective and reputable attorneys. H&P Law’s skilled personal injury attorneys have years of experience protecting the legal rights of the injury as well as families who have lossed loved ones. Contact our Las Vegas or Henderson offices today to speak with one of our Nevada personal injury attorneys and learn how our legal team can help fight for the compensation you deserve.
