The number of both pedestrians and bicyclists killed in roadway accidents is increasing. In 2003, pedestrians and bicyclists represented 12.6% of the total number of fatalities. In 2017, they accounted for 18.2% of fatalities. An even grimmer statistic is that while overall traffic fatalities decreased by 0.8% between 2008 and 2017, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities increased by 32%. In 2017 alone, there were 6,760 pedestrians and bicyclists killed in traffic accidents. The majority of these fatal accidents occur at non-intersections. The majority of the collisions occur between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., but daytime collisions are not uncommon.
My Sun Coast reports that a bicyclist was hit by a hit-and-run driver in St. Petersburg.
Video captured the moment when a driver was involved in a collision with a bicyclist traveling through a crosswalk. The incident occurred on November 1st.
The victim, whose name was not mentioned, is shown in the video entering the crosswalk at 49th Street and Pinellas Trail. As he enters the crosswalk, the throws his arms up in frustration at a car that did not yield. He is then struck by a Chrysler 200 that was traveling in the inside lane.
In the video, the cyclist did not stop for the stop sign. However, the crosswalk is marked and has flashing caution lights to warn drivers about cyclists and pedestrians.
It is unknown if the lights were flashing at the time of the crash. Whether the cyclist had the right of way or not, the driver fled from the scene. Because the driver fled the scene of the accident, they may be facing charges.
The bicyclist suffered from broken bones, but his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
Authorities were attempting to locate the driver involved in the crash.
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