A pre-dawn crash near downtown Phoenix turned a key I-10 exit into a taped-off detour today after a pedestrian was struck at 7th Avenue and Roosevelt Street. One man was taken to a hospital, and his condition was not immediately known.
The collision was reported around 3 a.m., according to Arizona's Family. A witness told the station he saw a man dragging a piece of furniture across 7th Avenue before a blue SUV hit him, then briefly stopped before leaving the scene.
Video from the scene showed the furniture sitting in the middle of the intersection, surrounded by crime tape and flares. The witness account had not been independently confirmed in the initial report, and officials had not released additional information about the driver or the circumstances leading up to the collision.
The intersection was closed in all directions, creating a detour for drivers exiting Interstate 10 near 7th Avenue. Motorists were advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes, the station reported.
Phoenix crash lands amid wider pedestrian safety concerns
Arizona recorded 2,079 pedestrian crashes in 2024, including 263 pedestrian deaths and 1,912 injuries, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. More than 93% of those crashes occurred in urban areas, underscoring the risks pedestrians face on busy city streets even when a collision does not happen on a freeway.
