A pedestrian was killed in a crash in southwest Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, and police are still working to determine what caused it. The crash happened near SW 134th Street and Blackwelder Avenue, leaving investigators to piece together the circumstances that led to the death.
Details remain limited at this stage. According to News 9, officers are actively investigating the fatal pedestrian crash and working to determine what caused it. Officers continued investigating the crash.
A Deadly Pattern On OKC Streets
A Deadly Pattern On OKC Streets Wednesday's death adds to a string of recent pedestrian and bicyclist crashes across Oklahoma City. Nine days earlier, four people were struck by vehicles across the city during a single 24-hour period, and two of them died, according to KOCO. In that stretch of crashes, a man in a wheelchair was struck and killed on South Shields Boulevard, with investigators saying the driver dragged the wheelchair for two blocks before stopping, the station reported.
Other incidents from that same 24-hour window included a woman struck near Southwest 59th Street and Walker Avenue, left in critical condition after police said the driver fled the scene, and a bicyclist hit near Northwest 31st Street and MacArthur, whose driver also left without stopping, per the same KOCO report. A separate woman struck near Reno and Rockwell by a driver making a left turn later died from her injuries, investigators told the station. After that cluster of crashes, Oklahoma City police urged drivers and pedestrians alike to slow down and pay attention.
Other Recent Fatal Crashes
On Oct. 13, officers responded to a crash involving a wheelchair user near SE 42nd Street and Shields Boulevard, according to OKC Fox. That victim was taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead, the station reported. Back in September, the Oklahoma City Police Department said one man died after an overnight auto-pedestrian crash in southwest Oklahoma City, with that crash happening around 2:30 a.m. near South Shartel Avenue and Southwest 59th Street, the same News 9 report noted. Authorities said that victim was taken to a hospital where he later died, and police described the investigation as ongoing.
Oklahoma's Troubling Traffic Record
The repeated crashes come as Oklahoma continues to post one of the worst traffic safety records in the country. The state has the 10th-highest traffic fatality rate among U.S. states, according to an analysis of TRIP data reported by The Oklahoman. TRIP found Oklahoma's traffic fatality rate at 1.35 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, compared with a national average of 1.1 fatalities, even as the state's overall traffic fatalities had declined 13%, the newspaper reported.
News 9 identified the pedestrian as a 12-year-old boy and reported that he was struck by two vehicles; both drivers stopped and cooperated with investigators. It remains unclear whether anyone will face charges. Police have not said what led to the crash near SW 134th Street and Blackwelder Avenue, and the investigation remains active.
