A person pushing a bicycle was struck and killed while trying to cross eastbound Interstate 10 near 79th Avenue in west Phoenix late Thursday night, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The pedestrian was attempting to walk perpendicular across the active travel lanes around 10:45 p.m. when a passenger vehicle hit them. Troopers found the person dead at the scene.
According to AZ Family, first responders were called to the freeway after the crash, and the victim's identity has not been publicly released. The driver remained at the scene and spoke with investigators. As detailed by 12News, DPS troopers interviewed the driver Thursday night and confirmed that impairment was not a factor in the collision.
Why Was Someone Crossing an Active Freeway?
It remains unclear why the pedestrian attempted to cross the interstate on foot while pushing a bicycle, a maneuver that is exceptionally dangerous on a controlled-access highway. Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-733 gives state and local transportation agencies the authority to bar pedestrians, bicycles, and other nonmotorized traffic from freeways like I-10 through posted signage, according to the Arizona State Legislature. Where such a prohibition is posted, Arizona law still places a duty on drivers to avoid hitting pedestrians wherever they encounter them.
Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-794, motor vehicle drivers must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on any roadway, regardless of whether that pedestrian was lawfully present or had the right-of-way, per the Arizona Department of Transportation. That duty exists independent of fault on the pedestrian's side. Arizona's pure comparative fault framework under ARS § 12-2505 means a pedestrian or their estate can still pursue civil damages even if found partially at fault, with any recovery reduced according to the degree of assigned negligence, as outlined by AZ Law Now.
A Deadly Pattern on Arizona Roads After Dark
A Deadly Pattern on Arizona Roads After Dark Thursday night's fatality adds to a grim statewide pattern. State crash analysis found that 263 pedestrians were killed and 1,912 were injured in Arizona in 2024, according to Ramos Law. AZ Law Now describes 76 percent as the share of pedestrian deaths that occurred in dark conditions; 200 of 261 fatal pedestrian crashes in 2024 occurred in dark conditions.
Statewide traffic deaths did tick down overall, with Arizona recording 1,156 total fatalities across 118,052 crashes in 2025, a 5.2 percent decrease and the third consecutive year of minor declines, per the Arizona Department of Transportation. Even so, fatality levels remain near historical highs. This stretch of west Phoenix freeway has seen serious incidents before: the eastbound lanes of I-10 near 79th Avenue were previously shut down during a fatal rollover crash in June 2025 that forced ADOT to divert mainline traffic at 83rd Avenue, according to KTAR News.
Investigators have not said whether roadway lighting or vehicle speed played any role in Thursday's crash, and it remains unknown whether citations or formal charges will result from the DPS investigation.
