Fatal pedestrian accidents are all too common across the country and Mississippi is no exception. Every year dozens of pedestrians are killed across the state with dozens more suffering serious and potentially debilitating injuries. Whenever one of these accidents occurs it should serve as a grave warning to Mississippi motorists about the importance of slowing down and paying careful attention when you are out for a drive.
The latest fatal pedestrian crash occurred just this week in Biloxi, MS where a 22-year-old man named Kamal Shafeek was killed early Sunday morning. Police say that Shafeek was struck by a car while walking along Mississippi 67. Authorities say they believe Shafeek was visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast and had been in the area since last week, traveling down from Dayton, Ohio.
Tragically, police reports indicate that Shafeek’s body was discovered in the median of the road by investigators. Police officers say that the driver of the car that hit and killed Shafeek thought that he had simply hit a deer and pulled over to call police who eventually uncovered the body. Authorities say they will continue investigating the accident to try and determine why Shafeek may have been on Mississippi 67 at the time.
Deaths like this one remind us that it is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of their surroundings. While pedestrians have an obligation to avoid placing themselves in obvious harm, drivers also have a burden to be cautious and watch for others on the roadway. Studies have shown that if drivers would simply slow down the chance of a pedestrian surviving a car accident would increase dramatically. For instance, if a car is traveling at 20 miles per hour the average pedestrian has a 90 percent chance of surviving the accident.
Many pedestrian safety advocates point out that dangers to walkers are typically created by poor road design and generally lax public policy. Reports released by several groups have noted that most pedestrians are killed on major roadways that have been designed almost exclusively for fast-moving vehicles rather than pedestrians. When people are forced to walk on such roads they often lack proper sidewalks or crosswalks, something that can seriously endanger their safety. Rather than make pedestrian safety an afterthought, lawmakers and public planners are encouraged to keep pedestrians in mind when planning roads and interchanges, something that can help reduce the instance of deadly crashes like this one.
If you have been injured in a Mississippi car, motorcycle or tractor-trailer accident and think you may have a personal injury claim, please contact the Mississippi personal injury attorneys at Kilpatrick & Philley at 601-707-4669.
Source: “Ohio man killed in Mississippi accident,” published at WHLT.com.
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