Ominous stat: Clark County records rise in pedestrian deaths due to crashes

For the first six months of 2024, pedestrian deaths due to traffic crashes were up by 53% in Clark County, according to state records.

In a release issued Monday, the Nevada Department of Public Safety said fatal pedestrian crashes in the state's most populated county totaled 52 from Jan. 1 through June 30. That's an increase from 34 during the same period in 2023.

While out and about Monday afternoon on his scooter near Boulder Highway and Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas resident Fred Hlinak told Channel 13 he's not surprised.

"I don't feel as safe as I could be," Hlinak said.

In fact, it wasn't long ago that Hlinak said he was "tapped" by a vehicle while he was crossing the street in that area, though he escaped any serious injuries.

He mentioned that he's had other close calls as well. That's why he wears a bright-colored vest whenever he's on his scooter now.

"I have eyes in the back of my head now," Hlinak said. "If drivers would do the things that you're supposed to do when you in the car, it would be a lot better."

Counting all types of fatal auto crashes through June 30, 200 people have died on Nevada roadways in 2024, 146 of them in Clark County.

It's a pace that's on track to surpass the 2023 total of 389.

In recent weeks, Southern Nevada has had its share of gruesome fatal car wrecks, including a wrong-way crash on the 215 Beltway on June 20, which claimed two lives, left a fiery multi-vehicle pileup, and closed the major Las Vegas expressway for hours.

Nicholas Irace, who also lives in east Las Vegas near Tropicana and Boulder Highway, says he witnesses wrecks often and makes sure to look multiple times before he crosses any street.

He spoke to a Channel 13 reporter Monday afternoon while walking home from a convenience store in his neighborhood.

"I look for five times before I cross," Irace said. "I'm not kidding. It's crazy out here."

So far this year, Nevada has recorded two different months — January and March — with 39 fatalities from auto crashes. A third month — May — saw 38.