A 30-year-old man died after he stepped into traffic and was struck by a car near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road in west Phoenix on Oct. 24, police say. Bruce Lee suffered life-threatening injuries at the scene and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The 21-year-old driver remained at the scene, and detectives say they do not believe speed or impairment played a role in the crash.
First responders were called to the area around 7 p.m. after reports of a person hit by a car, according to AZ Family. When officers arrived, they found Lee with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Police believe Lee was intoxicated and was walking with his girlfriend when he stepped into the roadway and was struck. The station's report notes that the driver, a 21-year-old man, stayed on the scene and that detectives do not believe speed or impairment on the driver's part was a factor in the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
A Corridor With a Troubled Safety History
The crash adds to a grim tally for pedestrian safety in west Phoenix. Indian School Road, located in the same part of the city, has been identified as Arizona's deadliest pedestrian corridor, with 118 pedestrians killed by cars between 2000 and 2024, according to Phoenix New Times. Five of the state's 12 deadliest half-kilometer roadway stretches sit within roughly one square mile along that same corridor, the outlet reports.
Statewide, the numbers paint a similarly stark picture. Arizona recorded 4,409 pedestrian deaths between 2000 and 2024, including 2,598 in Maricopa County, according to AZ Law Now's analysis, as reported by Phoenix New Times. Nearly two-thirds of those killed statewide were struck while walking in the dark, and 71.9% of deaths occurred midblock, away from a crosswalk.
Why Arizona Roads Remain Dangerous for Walkers
Arizona pedestrians are nearly twice as likely to be killed in a road collision as pedestrians nationwide, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Between 2018 and 2022, the state's male pedestrian fatality rate climbed from 4.9 to 6.0 deaths per 100,000 males, while the female rate rose from 2.1 to 2.6 per 100,000, the foundation found. Arizona also saw a 27.5% rise in all road deaths over that same four-year span.
The AAA Foundation attributed part of the rise to wide, vehicle-oriented roads that encourage higher speeds, combined with a lack of separated pedestrian infrastructure that it says creates inherently dangerous conditions. A project targeting Lower Buckeye Road between 27th and 19th avenues includes new street lights and drainage upgrades, with two of five railroad spurs along the road approved for removal, according to the City of Phoenix.
No further details about Lee's death have been released, and police have not said whether any citations resulted from the crash. The investigation into what happened near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road continues.
