Pedestrian Killed in Tragic Crash in New Bern, North Carolina

NEW BERN, NC- Newbernsj.com writes that a car struck and killed a pedestrian early in the morning in New Bern. The victim, a 73-year-old man, was walking on Neuse Boulevard when a driver operating a Craven County CARTS vehicle struck him. Reports indicate that the driver was a 58-year-old woman.*

The victim sustained critical injuries, and responders rushed him to a hospital in Greenville via airlift. The man later passed away from his injuries. 

The New Bern Police Department is investigating the crash. Officers asked that anyone with information, please come forward and contact the traffic enforcement unit. 

Pedestrian crashes kill thousands of Americans every year. In 2018 well over 6,000 people died in these tragic collisions. The numbers indicate that more people who are walking were killed by cars in 2018 than any other year in close to three decades. There are numerous reasons why the roads are so unsafe for foot traffic. 

Roads in the United States have long been and continue to be designed for vehicles, not pedestrians. The street design seems to place the fast flow of traffic above safety. The faster cars go, the greater chances are that a pedestrian who is struck will die as a result. Better intersection and road design could help lower the number of fatal incidents. 

Another problem is SUVs. Americans keep choosing larger passenger vehicles, and now SUVs and pickup trucks are dominating our roads. When one of these vehicles strikes a person, the chances are greater than the victim will die, as compared to incidents involving smaller sedans. 

Big changes to infrastructure and vehicle design will be needed to make our roads safe for walking. 

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 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://www.newbernsj.com/news/20200109/pedestrian-dies-after-being-hit-by-car and https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/pedestrian-safety and https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/28/suvs-killing-americas-pedestrians/646139002/ and https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/01/pedestrian-fatalities-dangerous-roads-traffic-deaths-data/580927/