A 40-year-old St. Petersburg man behind the wheel of a sedan hit and killed a pedestrian while traveling northbound on Haines Road N, approaching 58th Avenue N, on Saturday evening, troopers said.
The pedestrian, a 42-year-old man who was also from St. Petersburg, “walked across the roadway and into the path of the vehicle,” according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.
According to state law, all sides of an intersection are crosswalks, marked or not. Motorists approaching a pedestrian legally crossing the street at an intersection must yield or stop to allow the person to cross. It is unclear if the pedestrian was at an intersection or not.
He suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash, which happened at 6:40 p.m.
At least 11 bicyclists, 26 motorcyclists and 31 pedestrians have been killed in Pinellas County this year, according to estimates from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles published earlier this month.
Last week, crash survivors, families and advocates gathered on the shores of Treasure Island to remember those killed on our roadways and urge elected officials to do more to prevent future heartache. Attendees of the event — held on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims — called for expanded sidewalks, improved streetlighting, reduced speed limits and other measures to make Pinellas streets safer for all.
The driver of the sedan sustained no injuries in Saturday’s crash, according to troopers. Also in the vehicle were two children: an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old. Neither was injured, and all were wearing seatbelts, according to troopers.