A late-night drive through South Sacramento turned grim on Tuesday when a passerby spotted a woman lying in the roadway at Franklin Boulevard and 52nd Avenue. Emergency crews rushed to the scene and found she had suffered major injuries, and officials are now treating the case as a hit-and-run.
According to ABC10, Sacramento Fire Department crews transported the woman to a hospital, where she was listed in critical condition. The California Highway Patrol told the outlet that her injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle. As of Tuesday night, investigators said they had no information on a suspect.
Franklin Boulevard Under Safety Microscope
Franklin Boulevard has already been on the city’s radar for safety improvements, a stretch long known more for traffic than tranquility. Planned upgrades include protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks and traffic-calming features designed to slow drivers and cut down on collisions. One outlet has tracked the Franklin Boulevard Complete Street project along with recent lane changes intended to make the corridor safer for people walking and biking.
The California Highway Patrol is leading the investigation and is asking anyone with information or video from the area to come forward, ABC10 reports. No suspect description has been released so far.
The stakes are high well beyond this one intersection. Pedestrian injuries continue to be a serious issue across California. SafeTREC reports 1,106 pedestrian fatalities in 2023 and lists Sacramento County among those with elevated numbers of serious pedestrian injuries. Those numbers help explain why local safety projects and enforcement remain a priority for reducing harm to people on foot.
