Early this morning, another life was added to the tally of traffic fatalities in El Paso, marking the city's 67th such incident this year. A pedestrian, whose details have yet to be released, was struck while traversing Loop 375, near mile marker 40.5, according to the City of El Paso from the Special Traffic Investigations Unit. The initial report suggests that a 2007 Chevy Silverado was merging onto the freeway when it collided with a pedestrian.
Following the first impact the victim was then hit by an 18-wheeler that failed to remain at the scene, an action which inevitably magnifies the tragedy by compounding the loss with questions and the quest for justice for the family of the deceased, the investigation into this hit-and-run is ongoing. As per the City of El Paso, "Pedestrian on freeway is the primary factor in this collision," a stark reminder of the dangers that unfettered access to these high-speed thoroughfares can pose.
Comparatively, last year's traffic fatality count stood at a slightly higher 75 deaths by this same date, a figure that while marginally higher does not mitigate the ongoing issue of road safety in the city. Each number in this grim ledger is a life, a person with a story, ties to the community, undone by the confluence of speed, metal, and circumstance that make up the modern commute.
