By Richard Shapiro, Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney

Maryland State Police have tracked down a construction truck in Prince George’s County MD that is believed to have fatally struck a pedestrian in Alexandria last Friday.

A large construction truck hit a 60 year-old woman at Braddock Road and Commonwealth Avenue. Police stated that the woman was hit at high speed and died instantly.

It is not known yet if she was running, walking or was in a crosswalk when she was struck.

The truck driver has been identified but has not been charged yet.

According to Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey, the construction truck was going to or from a construction site in Alexandria at the time.

Our Virginia trucking accident legal practice often sees many fatal pedestrian accidents involving both cars and trucks. There were 249 pedestrians killed in VA, NC and WV combined in 2008. Also, the NHTSA found that the state of Florida in 2008 had a very high 490 pedestrian deaths.

This isn’t to show that the 249 people in VA, NC and WV is an acceptable number. But it is to note that Florida has made changes recently, such as in Tampa-St. Petersburg, where the mayor has built more biking lanes, sidewalks and new crosswalks. This has led to a 56% reduction in pedestrian deaths and injuries since 2000.

These sort of actions could be duplicated in Virginia. Some areas of Virginia do see a higher number of pedestrian deaths, such as Virginia Beach. Our firm has represented pedestrians there who were struck by cars.

It seems logical to us that there should be more initiatives in VA and across the US to have more crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes. All states really could benefit by making pedestrians safer from cars and trucks on our roads.