Pedestrian Killed in Tragic Crash on Interstate 95 in Savannah, Georgia (GA)

SAVANNAH, GA- Fox28media.com writes that a crash took place this week in the late evening on Interstate 95. The incident involved a Freightliner truck that collided with a person who was on the roadway.* 

The driver, identified as a 40-year-old man, was reportedly not able to see the individual in the roadway in time to avoid the impact. The victim was a 21-year-old man. 

Pedestrian fatalities have been increasing in Georgia over recent years. In 2018, the number of people killed in these incidents rose by 32 individuals. Pedestrian deaths rose four percent between 2017 and 2018 in the state. While Georgia saw the number of such deaths rise, in 23 states, pedestrian deaths dropped, and in two, the numbers remained the same. 

Over the course of a decade, the number of pedestrians killed went up even though other kinds of traffic fatalities dropped. Some states are seeing far more pedestrian deaths than others. In fact, Georgia, along with Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California, accounted for about half of the pedestrian deaths reported throughout the United States. 

One of the factors that seem to be causing the spike is the larger size of the average vehicle in America. Light trucks present greater risks to pedestrians than do smaller cars. Smartphones are also believed to be causing the increase in deadly pedestrian incidents. Reports state that the evidence linking smartphones and higher risks of pedestrian crashes is not definitive. However, many in Georgia believe that distracted driving is leading to greater roadway risks for everyone. Officials in the state are hoping that the hands-free law will help to cut down on the number of people killed in crashes each year. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://fox28media.com/news/local/savannah-police-investigating-fatal-pedestrian-involved-accident

https://patch.com/georgia/atlanta/georgia-pedestrian-deaths-spike-2018-report

https://www.gahighwaysafety.org/research/