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Stumble2 SUVs hit pedestrian; 1 leaves accident scene
Monday, July 5, 2010 | 2:23 a.m.
Fatal crash
A pedestrian was killed Sunday evening while crossing West Lake Mead Boulevard and police are looking for one of two vehicles that struck the man.
Metro Police responded at 8:42 p.m. to the incident west of the intersection of Lake Mead Boulevard and Valley Drive. Police said the pedestrian was crossing Lake Mead Boulevard from south to north outside of a marked crosswalk when the collision occurred.
Investigators said a 1991 Ford Explorer was westbound on Lake Mead Boulevard in the left lane when it struck the man. After the impact, police said a white sport utility vehicle struck the pedestrian, then left the scene before medical personnel arrived.
The pedestrian, identified only as a 59-year-old Las Vegas man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name will be released by the Clark County Coroner's Office.
The occupants of the Explorer, which did stop after the incident, were identified as the driver, Karl Joshua, 46, of Las Vegas, and passenger Ja'Varcus Joshua, 18, of North Las Vegas. Police said neither man was injured.
Anyone with information about the white SUV is being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 385‐5555 or Metro detective Mike Laythorpe at 828‐3342. This is the 37th traffic-related fatality this year in Metro's jurisdiction.
The accident is under investigation by the Metro Accident Investigation Section.
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Once again it's open season on pedestrians by the brain dead drivers of southern Nevada!!!
Yet again an example of brain-dead pedestrains j-walking at night, or, as in this case, right at sun-down when visibility is limited because of the glare of the setting sun, which was right in the driver's eyes, less than a block from a cross walk, but it's just too far to walk down 1/2 a block to the cross walk, isn't it? I feel for the driver of the car, he must feel terrible. It's just sad that people don't learn.
Laws favor vehicles in Las Vegas. If you can't use a crosswalk, prepare to lose your life.
Ped in the wrong, bummer he died though.
If you don't use a crosswalk, prepare to dodge cars
When you get hit by two drivers you obviously didn't have enough time to cross the street. Even being hit by one driver outside of a crosswalk you didn't have enough time. See those headlights? I agree with all posts except for envrion...
I am willing to bet that any one of you motorist favortists who have commented above would try to be as careful a driver as possible and be paying attention to the roadway up ahead of you, obeying speed limits, and ALWAYS avoid hitting pedestrians! This is what careful drivers and brakes, and diversionary driving tactics are for. Don't gimme that crap about glaring sun, nightime, or off the crosswalks, PEDESTRIANS SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!!!
Pedestrians do not have the right of way on roadways in Clark County. You can whine all you want that pedestrians "should" always have the right of way, but our traffic laws favor the vehicle, plain and simple.
Las Vegas roads were designed for quick vehicular travel -- wide and fast. We are a big, flat town, not an urban city. Our city roads are often six lanes wide, not two. When the posted speed limit says 45MPH, you can be assured that cars are moving at 50. But even at 45, someone caught in the middle of a six-land road (especially in the dark) is done for.
Any pedestrian who puts foot to asphalt without that knowledge and some general common sense is and always will be asking for trouble here.
Then again, I've been a pedestrian, a bicyclist, and a driver here for decades. What do I know?
I still think that only boneheads end up running over pedestrians...
RPJ :
Your not telling me anything I don't already know, I'm just stating that people who end up running over pedestrians are not paying close enough attention to the huge responsibilities of watching out for obstacles (most importantly people) out ahead in their path...
Perhaps, or perhaps not.
You assume that all drivers have a sense of sight equal to yours, a car with sight lines and mechanical and physical ability equal to yours, night vision equal to yours, and reaction time equal to yours.
It was after dark, and this pedestrian was struck not once, but twice. The most obvious explanation being the most likely, they were probably wearing dark clothes and/or darted in front of traffic foolishly (or drunkenly), or wanted to commit suicide. Or maybe someone pushed them in front of traffic.
The point is, it was probably unavoidable for the drivers involved, and the driver who ran was either drinking, had no insurance, had a warrant, or something more nefarious.
bape70...Gee, dya think?
environ, the first thing they teach us in school: LOOK BOTH WAYS and wait until it's safe to cross. It's sad the man died, but he obviously stepped into traffic without looking. It is not "open season" on pedestrians. I'm not making any excuses for the jerk who fled the scene. This is becoming a regular event in L.V. and it always seems to be the pedestrian who is in the wrong. A car going 40-45 mph (the speed limit) cannot stop on a dime. By the way, even if you're in a crosswalk, you still need to wait til it's safe.
"At 842pm its not dark in Las Vegas"
On the date of the accident, the sun set at 08:02pm, and twilight ended at 08:27pm.
It was dark.
@environprotector-
Your simplistic view of things is comical.
Vehicles on most Las Vegas surface arterials are moving at 45-50mph. If someone steps into traffic forty feet in front of a car going that fast, there is no way for anyone to avoid striking that pedestrian without changing lanes or leaving the roadway. If you believe it is the responsibility of the driver to see the pedestrian on the sidewalk and slow down, think again. On multi-lane roads, most pedestrian strikes occur in the second lane from the footpath, usually because the pedestrian emerges from in front of a vehicle that has managed to slow down and avoid hitting them, only to have the vehicle in the adjacent lane, who never had a chance to see the pedestrian, strike them at full speed.
The simple fact is that Las Vegas is not pedestrian-friendly, even on the Strip (hence the overhead walkways). Between speed limits, wide roads, and heavy traffic, the onus is on the pedestrian to understand their environment in order to remain safe. Survival 101- you must adapt to the environment, the environment will not adapt to you. It will kill you.