Iowa pedestrian crashes, fatalities on the rise

Authorities continue to investigate a crash in Washington, Iowa, that put a 70-year-old pedestrian in the hospital, one of many that have occurred just this month, and one of hundreds that have happened since last year.

After 6 p.m. Monday, the Washington resident was struck by a vehicle near a gas station at 1504 E Washington St., and rushed by ambulance to Washington County Hospital. He was recently transferred to the University of Iowa Hospitals, but police did not have an update on his condition.

That same day, a 55-year-old Cedar Rapids man was taken to St. Luke's Hospital for head injuries after he was struck by a Marion motorist while crossing a bustling Collins Road NE at 7:30 a.m.

On Dec. 2 a jaywalker was crossing Council Street NE when he was struck by a pickup in the turn lane at 6:40 a.m. Police cited him for failing to use the crosswalk.

Hiawatha police continue to investigate an Oct. 8 hit-and-run that killed 89-year-old Eugene Fisher, of Hiawatha, who was struck by an unidentified vehicle while walking on Robins Road south of Tower Terrace Road early in the morning.

"Often drivers don't even recognize the figure as a person [...] People think they are deer," Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson Dena Gray-Fisher said.

Fisher's is one of 23 statewide pedestrian crash fatalities since January, said Evelyn Mitchell, safety researcher for fatal crashes with the Iowa Department of Transportation. That's up from the 19 fatalities occurring last year, according to the most recent Iowa DOT research.

The same data shows pedestrian-related crashes have increased 5.8 percent, from 443 in 2009 to 469 in 2010, and pedestrian injuries increased 10.7 percent, from 478 in 2009 to 529 in 2010.

"People are not aware and paying attention to what is going on and their surroundings,"  Gray-Fisher said, noting both pedestrians and motorists need to be more aware, no matter how they are using the roads.

She said people should be particularly alert during the nighttime and early morning hours, when more pedestrian accidents occur because visibility is low.

"For all persons using the road (it's important) to remain attentive to everything that's around you. You've got to be paying attention to what going on at that scene," she said.