The number of pedestrian deaths in the country has been alarming in recent years, with statistics showing more than 7,700 fatalities in 2022 — the highest it has been since 1981.
According to reports, states that have the highest pedestrian mortalities are New Mexico, Arizona, and Florida, and recently, a young man’s life senselessly ended while walking along Philips Highway in Jacksonville, Florida. The deceased’s friend shared the news on TikTok while berating the media for seemingly putting the blame on the victim.
Kaylee Mahony (@kayshmoneyy) was in tears as she started the video, telling viewers that her friend passed away after getting hit by two cars. “And all of the news stations are acting as if it was his f**king fault,” she added. Kaylee continued to share that reports noted the victim was walking down the highway “for an unknown” reason. She then showed an image of Philips Highway and the area where her friend was hit. “It’s not his fault, you didn’t build a f***ing sidewalk,” she continued.
As shown in Kaylee’s video, Philips Highway isn’t what most people would imagine when the word “highway” is used. It isn’t as wide as other highways, and there are establishments on both sides, with a narrow shoulder separating the road from the parking spaces for businesses. “That’s what they consider a highway?” one commenter asked, to which Kaylee responded, “Jacksonville is the most defunct city in Florida.”
On Nov. 30 at about 2:30am, 20-year-old Savion Henry was walking on Philips Highway near Bowdendale Avenue when he was hit by two vehicles — an Isuzu box truck and a Nissan sedan. Savion was declared dead at the scene. Floridians agreed with Kaylee. One said, “She’s right. There’s barely sidewalks in a ton of places.” Another user added, “Tampa is fricking HORRENDOUS bro,” adding that although there’s construction consistently going on, the changes are “never anything useful with the roads.”
The problem isn’t only in the Sunshine State either, as one TikTok user shared that she studied the “walkability of cities” for a school project and it was a “big issue.” Another user added that she, too, did a project about towns and cities and found many are “so unwalkable due to little or no sidewalks as well as safety signs.” One commenter added, “America is not for pedestrians. As someone who doesn’t have a car and has to walk everywhere this is really scary.”
On the other hand, many shared their own stories of pedestrians getting blamed for being hit by a vehicle. “My boyfriend was killed 2 years ago by a drunk driver and the police and everyone else is saying it’s his fault,” one commented shared, while another wrote, “I got hit by a car while crossing the street in a crosswalk and the police report says it’s my fault.. No one respects or protects pedestrians.”
Jacksonville’s First Coast News spoke to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokesperson Hampton Ray, who said Savion’s case is still being investigated. However, he stressed that Savion was “illegally crossing the roadway” and was wearing black clothing and shoes, which made him difficult to spot. Part of the investigation was also checking whether Savion was impaired while he was walking down the highway.
In response, Kaylee said it was unbelievable how Savion was being blamed for his own death, and it didn’t really matter why he was there. The point she wanted to make was the tragedy could have been prevented if there was a proper sidewalk where pedestrians’ lives wouldn’t be at risk for the simple act of walking.
Published: Dec 22, 2024 01:59 pm