Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Downtown Austin Crossing Highway

AUSTIN, TX — Medics said a man was killed Friday morning as he tried crossing Interstate 35 near 6th Street before being hit by an 18-wheeler — the third pedestrian to die on Austin roadways this week alone.

The early morning incident occurred along the 900 block of South Interstate 35, where the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Austin-Travis County EMS medics estimated the man's age to have been in his 20s.

This is the third pedestrian death in Austin this week, and part of what appears to be a growing trend.

On Monday, Scott Gerald Whiting, 37, was killed along the 5700 block of West Parmer Lane by a motorist who fled the scene. The man's body was discovered near McNeil Drive by a bicyclist to happened to come upon it before calling police.

Three days later on Thursday, a man in his 40s died after being hit by a vehicle along the westbound lanes of East Anderson Lane at Norwood Park Boulevard just before 9 am.

So far this year, 14 pedestrians have been killed in collision with vehicles. In 2016, there were 29 pedestrian deaths and 23 last year, according to Texas Department of Public Safety data. The majority of pedestrian deaths have occurred when it's dark outside, TxDot officials have said.

The surge of pedestrian deaths in recent years prompted state officials to launch a pedestrian safety campaign dubbed "Be Safe Be Seen." The initiative aims to address pedestrian fatalities and injuries along Interstate 35 and other areas of Austin, including construction zones. All told, there were 5,897 pedestrian fatalities statewide last year, officials said at the campaign's launching.

Similar campaigns have been launched elsewhere, including the following video from Washington state that yields a useful primer on pedestrian safety:

Not a month seemingly goes by in Austin without a report of a pedestrian death, with reports seemingly coming at a brisker pace in a fast-growing city with ever-increasing traffic on its roadways.

In mid-July, two more pedestrians were hit on the same day. On July 14, a pedestrian was hit by a car in Central Austin, according to Austin-Travis County EMS medics. First responders were called to the scene just before 2:30 a.m. along the 5500 block of North Interstate 35 near U.S. 290 where they found an injured man in his 30s who was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries that were deemed not to be life-threatening.

The day before, another pedestrian was struck by a car in North Austin. In that incident, medics rushed to the 800 block of Rutland Drive just after 9 p.m. There, they found an adult male of undetermined age injured. The victim was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

There have been others.

In April, Dystany Farrias, 31, was walking southbound along the 8100 block of South Interstate 35 service road near the right shoulder but partially in the lane of travel at about a quarter until 4 a.m. A 2001, silver Chevrolet pickup was traveling southbound in the right lane when it struck the woman with the right, front quarter panel area of the vehicle. Farrias was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, who sustained no injuries, remained at the scene until police arrived.

Other recent incidents of pedestrian deaths include:

• On Nov. 24, 2016, a man in his 40s was struck and killed by a car at around 8 p.m. along West Slaughter Lane at Palace Parkway in South Austin, roughly a half-mile west of South 1st Street. The man was dead at the scene by the time emergency workers arrived. The same night, in nearby Buda, Texas, another man was struck and killed on the Texas 45 ramp to I-35 some two hours later.
• Four days before on Nov. 20, a pedestrian was killed along the 5300 block of I-35 southbound in the northern part of Travis County. Police said a 2010 Jaguar was driving southbound on the highway when the pedestrian ran across the southbound lanes of the highway before being hit.
• The previous month in East Austin, Epifanio Jimenez-Garcia, 61, was crossing from east to west along the 100 block of Robert T. Martinez Jr. St. on Oct. 13 when he was struck by a vehicle. Police said Jimenez failed to look both ways to check for traffic before walking on the roadway. He was rushed to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, where he died of his injuries the following morning.
• Just two weeks later on Oct. 27, Jasper Bailey, 34, was killed after being struck by two vehicles as he stood in the middle of the road at night wearing all-black clothing. Police are unsure why Bailey was standing in traffic on Oct. 27 at 9 p.m. when he was struck along the 3400 block of South Lamar Boulevard.
• In September, Sterlin Adreon Milam, 38, was killed while standing in a North Austin roadway before being struck by a Dodge Ram traveling westbound along the outside lane of 6600 block of McNeil Drive about ten minutes before 6 a.m. The pedestrian died at the scene, while the motorist stopped to wait for police to arrive.
• In early August, Kenyae Monique Dixon, 25, was killed in North Austin after trying to cross along a portion of I-35. A police investigation found a car traveling northbound in the left lane of the 8300 block of North I-35 was traveling at a high rate of speed on Aug. 3 before striking Dixon. Dixon was pronounced dead at about 20 minutes before 10 p.m.
• In May, Bobby Joe Duke, 48, exited a bus that had come to a stop to pick up other passengers in the 2500 block of East Stassney Lane on April 27 when he ran in front of the bus across the roadway before being struck by a vehicle. The vehicle that struck Duke was traveling westbound on the inside lane just before 6:30 a.m. Duke was taken to St David's South Austin Medical Center, but died the following day.
• In November 2016, James Arthur Gantt, 61, was struck by a pickup truck while he tried crossing across a portion of I-35 in North Austin. The fatal collision occurred along the 5300 block of North I-35 just before 6 a.m.
• On Dec. 17, 2015, Gary Crescini, 45, died when a vehicle traveling westbound in the 3000 block of East State Highway 71 left the roadway, careened into the center median and struck him. The driver fled the scene after hitting Crescini, police said. It's uncertain what time the incident occurred, but police estimate it happened in a time frame between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Last year, a Texas law firm conducted a thorough analysis of busy intersections across the state in determining the most dangerous. The results didn't look too good for Austin: Four of the top ten dangerous intersections in the state were determined to be located in the capital city, including what was deemed the most dangerous one in the state at Trinity and East 7th streets.

The Texas Department of Transportation offers the following safety tips to avoid pedestrian accidents:

Use Sidewalks

When there is a sidewalk, use it! Most pedestrian traffic accidents happen when someone is walking in the roadway.

Be very alert when crossing any roadway. Stay on the right-hand side of crosswalks. Drivers are supposed to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Cross at Intersections and in Crosswalks

Yield to vehicles on the roadway if you cross the street at a place other than a marked crosswalk or pedestrian tunnel or crossing. If you're hit while jaywalking, the driver may not be liable, and his or her auto insurance may not cover your injuries.

If the road has no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

Pedestrian Safety Tips

• Always cross at intersections. Look left, then right, then left again before proceeding.
• Look for traffic when stepping off a bus or from behind parked cars.
• As a passenger, get in or out of a car on the curb side of the street.
• Make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street.

Despite such advice, it's a sad inevitability that more pedestrians will be struck before the year is out. Meanwhile, police continue to search for the driver who left Whiting on the side of the road before fleeing the scene after hitting him on Monday.

Given the higher level of incidents, it's easy to view pedestrian deaths as abstract statistics in the reporting. But, like others killed on city roadways, Scott Gerald Whiting is no mere statistic. Splitting his time between Austin and San Antonio, he was a 1999 graduate of MacArthur High School before attending UT-Austin, according to the Porter Loring Mortuaries notice.

"He was an avid sports fan, especially for the Longhorns, Cowboys, Astros, and Spurs," the notice continues. "Scott enjoyed sports, drinking, music, & movies – in that order. Scott was an only child and is survived by his father, Johnny Whiting; mother, Sylvia Ruth Whiting; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins; and a host of friends in San Antonio and Austin."

A 10 a.m. mass is scheduled Aug. 2 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Dr., according to an online obituary notice. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Get Patch's Daily Newsletters and Real Time Alerts

>>> Image via Shutterstock