Elderly Pedestrian Struck And Killed By Car In Downtown Austin

AUSTIN, TX -- Another pedestrian has been hit by a vehicle in Austin roadways, this time again with a tragic outcome.

A man believed to be in his 70s was struck by a car on the northbound Interstate 35 service road, just beyond 11th Street, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The pedestrian was attempting to cross the downtown street just after 5 a.m. when he was hit.

The man was dead at the scene.

Police closed off the I-35 northbound frontage road for a couple of hours to investigate the crash. It was reopened by 8:15 a.m.

Local law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation into the incident, including trying to determine whether the driver of the vehicle had a green light at the time of the collision.

The elderly man is the latest to die while traversing city streets. Pedestrians are hit by vehicles on a regular basis -- it’s a monthly occurrence -- as traffic on Austin roads continues to grow.

Pedestrian-involved accidents seem to be on the rise as an influx of residents descend upon Austin in relocating from other parts -- filling city streets with additional traffic. Many of those streets haven’t seen such traffic levels in the past, and sometimes, existing surrounding infrastructure -- including adequate lighting -- leaves a lot to be desired given bolstered traffic flows.

Less than a week before the latest death, a man in his 60s was hit while walking his dog in East Austin.

Such incidents have, sadly, become all too commonplace as the city continues to grow.