A pedestrian in Kansas City, Missouri has died days after a hit-and-run sent him to the hospital.
The crash occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on Monday, April 29 near the intersection of 18th Street and Bristol Avenue. According to authorities, the victim, identified as 37-year-old Jesus Avalos, was struck by the driver in the driveway of a home near the intersection.
The driver of the vehicle, described by police as a gray Ford Mustang, then crashed into a wooden fence, but fled the scene before police arrived.
Avalos was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, and died on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 1.
“We wish to send our condolences to the family of Jesus Avalos and we want to ask the public to help in bringing the driver to justice,” said Eric Rogers, executive director for BikeWalkKC. “If you saw or heard something, please say something.”
“Making changes to the built environment to prevent pedestrian deaths is important, but so is holding reckless drivers accountable,” said BikeWalkKC policy director Eric Bunch. “There is no reason this person should be allowed to get into another car and potentially take another life.”
As BikeWalkKC has stated in the past, what deserves the brunt of the blame for these crashes is the 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.
If you have any information about the crash, please call 911 or the TIPS hotline at (816) 474-8477.
BikeWalkKC believes that crashes are not accidents and clothing is not an excuse.