Tragic Deaths: Brevard County Men Killed in the Street

pedestrian dangersPhoto byauthor screenshot

Disclaimer: This article was written for informational purposes only.

Brevard County, Florida

According to FLHSMV (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles), Brevard County, Florida has recorded 61 pedestrian crashes resulting in 49 injuries and six fatalities between January 1, 2024, through March 28, 2024.

Florida consistently ranks in the upper tier of pedestrian fatalities per census data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The state of Florida ranked the third highest in the country in 2019.

Just last month in early March, Melbourne police reported the death of a 61-year-old Melbourne man, who was struck at the intersection of South Babcock Street and Eber Boulevard around the 5 a.m. hour.

After being hit by a 2006 Mercedes ML350 SUV, he sustained life-threatening injuries and succumbed at the scene.

In the previous month, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) responded to a Brevard County collision in February 2024 that resulted in the death of a pedestrian. The 29-year-old Merritt Island man was lying deceased in the northbound lane of Banana River Drive near Central Avenue.

The uninjured driver, a 57-year-old Merritt Island woman in a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse sport utility vehicle, reported the accident to the police. She indicated that the man was lying in her direct path.

The driver collided with the victim at approximately 10:21 p.m. and ran off the roadway. She immediately contacted authorities.

The crash was being investigated.

National Numbers

Dangerous by Design uses federal data that is complete only through the end of 2020, but early estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) are that 7,485 people walking were struck and killed in 2021.

Estimates indicate one of the largest single-year jumps in decades. Pedestrian fatalities increasing by almost 13 percent in one year would be the highest number in 40 years.

Although everyone is affected by dangerous street designs in some way, older adults, as well as pedestrians in low-income areas, are killed at much higher rates overall.

Florida ranked second in the nation, as the most dangerous state for pedestrians from 2016 to 2020. New Mexico ranked as the worst state in the country.

Stats courtesy of Rosenberg & RosenbergPhoto byauthor screenshot

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Sources:
Smart Growth America
Rosenberg & Rosenberg
Space Coast Daily
Florida Traffic