A pedestrian walking their bicycle was pinned by a vehicle and sustained life-threatening injuries as a result.
The crash happened on Saturday evening around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of 31st Street and Indiana Avenue. Authorities say that a Toyota Camry ran a red light and collided with a Chevy Suburban. The Suburban went off the road, striking and pinning the pedestrian to the corner of a building.
First responders were able to free the victim, who sustained serious injuries in the crash. They were transported to an area hospital, but no word has been given on their identity or any changes to their condition.
The driver of the vehicle that hit the pedestrian stayed on the scene and cooperated with police.
“Our main focus is on the condition of the pedestrian, and we hope they’ll pull through,” said BikeWalkKC executive director Eric Rogers. “It is also important to understand what caused the driver of the Camry to not only run a red light, but also put an innocent bystander in the hospital.”
“It’s a terrible day when a pedestrian is injured, but even worse when they’re struck by a car while walking on the sidewalk,” lamented Eric Bunch, the policy director for BikeWalkKC. “As more people utilize our sidewalks, they deserve to do so with a feeling of safety.”
As BikeWalkKC has stated in the past, what deserves the brunt of the blame for these crashes is a culture that values car traffic efficiency over the safety of human lives.
For more information, contact Karen Campbell, director of development and communications, at (816) 205-7056 (ext. 2) or by email at karen.campbell@bikewalkkc.org.
BikeWalkKC believes that crashes are not accidents and clothing is not an excuse.