Police Car Strikes Pedestrian in Tragic Collision in Spartanburg

SPARTANBURG, SC- Wspa.com writes that a police vehicle struck a woman in Spartanburg late last week. The victim, identified as a 54-year-old woman from Greenville, was transported to the Spartanburg Medical Center following the crash. Updated reports now indicate that the woman tragically passed away in the hospital over the weekend.*

The incident occurred in the early evening on West Main Street. The police disciplinary team is looking into the cause of the fatal crash. 

South Carolina needs to improve protections for its pedestrians and cyclists. Statistics indicate that the state is one of the worst when it comes to pedestrian incidents. The Governor’s Highway Association found that South Carolina has the sixth-highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the country. This comes as the number of pedestrians dying around the nation is also high. The rate of pedestrian fatalities in 2018 was the highest seen in close to thirty years. Law enforcement officers say that the problem often occurs when pedestrians cross the street outside of a marked crosswalk. Pedestrians may mistakenly believe that cars will stop for them when they enter the road. In reality, drivers often fail to see pedestrians. Poor visibility is a problem in many pedestrian crashes, and inattentive drivers can make the problem even worse. 

Many acknowledge the fact that the state’s infrastructure is another major problem. When people have no crosswalks nearby or do not have access to bike lanes or sidewalks, they end up having to share the road with drivers. The results can be deadly.

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.wspa.com/news/local-news/woman-dies-days-after-being-hit-by-spartanburg-police-car/ and https://www.postandcourier.com/news/hundreds-of-sc-pedestrians-and-bicyclists-are-dying-here-s/article_882982e6-6611-11e9-b638-bb86571a640e.html