Following articles was published by the Houston Chronicle.
A 70-year-old man selling newspapers by the side of the road died Wednesday after a car struck him near the intersection of S. Dairy Ashford and Westheimer, police said.
A man was driving a white Chevrolet Camaro north in the center lane of S. Dairy Ashford about 4:15 p.m. when he lost control of his car and swerved into the left lane across the median and struck a white Saturn sedan that was stopped waiting in the left turn lane, said Sgt. L.H. Leffler of HPD.
The Camaro then struck the man selling newspapers in the median and hit a tan Toyota SUV before coming to rest on top of the median, Leffler said. The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, but Leffler said the roadway was slick from recent rains.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
August 14, 2007 Houston Pedestrian Killed In Hit-And-Run
Article published by Click2Houston.com
A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run on a dark north Harris County road on Monday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said a black Dodge Ram pickup truck hit Roberto San Juan as he crossed Lillja Road near Aldine Mail Road at about 8:30 p.m. "Once he struck the pedestrian, he fled the scene without stopping," Deputy Leo Anders said. San Juan died at the scene.
A witness saw everything, officials said. "The witness said that the vehicle frequents the roadway at a high rate of speed several times during the day and stops at the local stores here in the area," Anders said. "He does frequent the area and we believe he is a resident in the area."
Investigators said the truck has front-end damage and possibly windshield damage. The driver is a Hispanic man in his 30s, deputies said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Harris County Sheriff's Office Traffic Enforcement at 713-674-5393 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run on a dark north Harris County road on Monday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said a black Dodge Ram pickup truck hit Roberto San Juan as he crossed Lillja Road near Aldine Mail Road at about 8:30 p.m. "Once he struck the pedestrian, he fled the scene without stopping," Deputy Leo Anders said. San Juan died at the scene.
A witness saw everything, officials said. "The witness said that the vehicle frequents the roadway at a high rate of speed several times during the day and stops at the local stores here in the area," Anders said. "He does frequent the area and we believe he is a resident in the area."
Investigators said the truck has front-end damage and possibly windshield damage. The driver is a Hispanic man in his 30s, deputies said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Harris County Sheriff's Office Traffic Enforcement at 713-674-5393 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Friday, August 10, 2007
August 10, 2007 Pedestrian Critically Injured When Hit By Car
Following articles was published by Click2Houston.com. Pedestrians should stop getting in the way of vehicles.
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas -- A pedestrian was critically injured when a car hit him in Friendswood late Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Friendswood police said a driver swerved to avoid hitting the 54-year-old man in the intersection of F.M. 518 and Dunbar Estates at about 10:50 p.m. The man was hit when he moved into the same lane the driver swerved into, officials said.
Investigators said the man was transported by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition. He suffered head trauma and broken bones, officials said.
The incident was ruled accidental and the driver is not expected to face charges.
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas -- A pedestrian was critically injured when a car hit him in Friendswood late Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Friendswood police said a driver swerved to avoid hitting the 54-year-old man in the intersection of F.M. 518 and Dunbar Estates at about 10:50 p.m. The man was hit when he moved into the same lane the driver swerved into, officials said.
Investigators said the man was transported by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition. He suffered head trauma and broken bones, officials said.
The incident was ruled accidental and the driver is not expected to face charges.
Monday, August 6, 2007
August 6, 2007 Houston, Looking both ways before you cross? Look again
Following article was published by khou.com.
The lesson you learned from your parents about crossing the street may not cut it anymore in Houston. An new and still unreleased report obtained by 11 News found that the “look both ways” rule may not be enough anymore in Harris County – especially for the elderly, for whom crossing the street has become a deadly endeavor.
One of the first images seen when this story started was a man about to walk across a street when a cement truck ran right in front of him. He paused, then kept on going. It’s something that happens often to Eloise Lee. “I just have to jump out of the way,” she said. Like many seniors, she walks to the grocery store and then walks home. “But I have to be very careful on Stella Link,” she said. “Because they’ll run over you.”
Sheila Holbrook-White is putting together a report of how many pedestrians, especially people over age 55, have been killed crossing Texas roads. Using federal statistics, she found that 60 people age 55 and up have been hit by cars and killed in Harris County between 2002 and 2005. That rate is twice the national average. More disturbing: In southwest Houston, there are clusters of deaths. Bellaire Boulevard is the worst of all.
Three elderly people have been struck and killed near Hillcroft, and a total of seven have died within just 1 mile. The “Walk Well Texas” study appears to be the first time anyone has mapped those deaths. “It seems to me that there should be some big red alert zone around any area where you’re finding more than one or two or three clusters of fatalities,” Holbrook-White said.
On Bellaire, a busy Fiesta Mart is across the street from bus stops and apartment complexes. People were crossing with groceries, jaywalking with young children, all while and drivers jumped the lights.
Just blocks away at the Bayland Community Center, even seniors who are fleet on their feet - say traffic has them feeling trapped. “The lights are not timed right,” Betty Denton said. “The lights don’t give them enough time to cross the street.”
In Houston, the pedestrian signals are timed, and they assume that you will be able to walk 3 feet per second when you’re crossing an intersection. That’s hard enough to do. And the older people get, the harder they say it is to move that quickly.
“Most older adults walk between 1.8 and 2.5 [feet per second],” Holbrook-White said. “It’s really easy to get stuck in the middle of an intersection if you walk considerably slower than what the signal assumes that you’re doing. And that’s when people get stuck.” “Unless you run, you can’t get across the street before that goes off,” Denton said.
Engineers say new construction techniques will help improve some intersections. One of the more dangerous state roads in the county is Highway 6, which TxDOT is about to rebuild.
“Overall, I think we are seeing much more being done in state highway design that wasn’t done previously, and that’s allowing for pedestrians and bicycle traffic,” TxDOT spokeswoman Janelle Gbur said.
The City of Houston maintains roads like Bellaire Boulevard. A spokesman for public works said he can’t comment on the “Walk Well Texas” report until it’s officially released but said the city’s pedestrian crossings meet federal safety standards. In the meantime, people like Harry Barnett say it’s just common sense: “It’s a question of having patience to wait, not being in a hurry right away,” he said.
Don’t trust a light or the drivers to help you cross. He said if you’re elderly, you’re on your own.
City of Houston spokesman Alvin Wright said you should call 311 if you have concerns about a particular intersection. Since many of those deaths happened between intersections, he wants to remind everyone that jaywalking is against the law.
Also on line
Map: Deaths of people age 55 and up from 2002-05
The Bellaire Cluster
Pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, U.S. and Texas, 2000-05
Pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people: Older Texans
E-mail 11 News reporter Lee McGuire
The lesson you learned from your parents about crossing the street may not cut it anymore in Houston. An new and still unreleased report obtained by 11 News found that the “look both ways” rule may not be enough anymore in Harris County – especially for the elderly, for whom crossing the street has become a deadly endeavor.
One of the first images seen when this story started was a man about to walk across a street when a cement truck ran right in front of him. He paused, then kept on going. It’s something that happens often to Eloise Lee. “I just have to jump out of the way,” she said. Like many seniors, she walks to the grocery store and then walks home. “But I have to be very careful on Stella Link,” she said. “Because they’ll run over you.”
Sheila Holbrook-White is putting together a report of how many pedestrians, especially people over age 55, have been killed crossing Texas roads. Using federal statistics, she found that 60 people age 55 and up have been hit by cars and killed in Harris County between 2002 and 2005. That rate is twice the national average. More disturbing: In southwest Houston, there are clusters of deaths. Bellaire Boulevard is the worst of all.
Three elderly people have been struck and killed near Hillcroft, and a total of seven have died within just 1 mile. The “Walk Well Texas” study appears to be the first time anyone has mapped those deaths. “It seems to me that there should be some big red alert zone around any area where you’re finding more than one or two or three clusters of fatalities,” Holbrook-White said.
On Bellaire, a busy Fiesta Mart is across the street from bus stops and apartment complexes. People were crossing with groceries, jaywalking with young children, all while and drivers jumped the lights.
Just blocks away at the Bayland Community Center, even seniors who are fleet on their feet - say traffic has them feeling trapped. “The lights are not timed right,” Betty Denton said. “The lights don’t give them enough time to cross the street.”
In Houston, the pedestrian signals are timed, and they assume that you will be able to walk 3 feet per second when you’re crossing an intersection. That’s hard enough to do. And the older people get, the harder they say it is to move that quickly.
“Most older adults walk between 1.8 and 2.5 [feet per second],” Holbrook-White said. “It’s really easy to get stuck in the middle of an intersection if you walk considerably slower than what the signal assumes that you’re doing. And that’s when people get stuck.” “Unless you run, you can’t get across the street before that goes off,” Denton said.
Engineers say new construction techniques will help improve some intersections. One of the more dangerous state roads in the county is Highway 6, which TxDOT is about to rebuild.
“Overall, I think we are seeing much more being done in state highway design that wasn’t done previously, and that’s allowing for pedestrians and bicycle traffic,” TxDOT spokeswoman Janelle Gbur said.
The City of Houston maintains roads like Bellaire Boulevard. A spokesman for public works said he can’t comment on the “Walk Well Texas” report until it’s officially released but said the city’s pedestrian crossings meet federal safety standards. In the meantime, people like Harry Barnett say it’s just common sense: “It’s a question of having patience to wait, not being in a hurry right away,” he said.
Don’t trust a light or the drivers to help you cross. He said if you’re elderly, you’re on your own.
City of Houston spokesman Alvin Wright said you should call 311 if you have concerns about a particular intersection. Since many of those deaths happened between intersections, he wants to remind everyone that jaywalking is against the law.
Also on line
Map: Deaths of people age 55 and up from 2002-05
The Bellaire Cluster
Pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, U.S. and Texas, 2000-05
Pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people: Older Texans
E-mail 11 News reporter Lee McGuire
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