Texas Injury Lawyers Blog
El Paso TX (December 9, 2019) Two pedestrians were thrown off an overpass and fell approximately 4 stories, one to his death and the other in serious condition Monday evening. The accident happened when the 2 victims, Carlos Lechuga (35) and Hector Martinez (33) were assisting a driver of a stalled 18-wheeler. The truck was stopped on the ramp of 375 and I-10 near the Americas interchange. The 2 men had pulled their GMC Sierra in front of the semi truck and were out of their vehicle at the time. An Escalade driven by a Martin Castaneda (22) struck the rear of the semi and then the rear of the GMC Sierra pushing the men off the overpass and onto the highway 40 feet below. Both men were taken to Del Sol Hospital with serious injuries where Mr. Lechuga later died. The driver of the Escalade was also hospitalized with minor injuries. At this time the accident is still under investigation as per the El Paso police.
Pedestrian Fatalities In 2018 there was a total of 5,684 pedestrian related accidents in Texas with 617 of those resulting in deaths. (TXDot) The Governor’s Highway Safety Association estimates that Texas is one of the 5 states that has the highest number of pedestrians killed along U.S highways. Pickups, SUVs and crossover utility vehicles are responsible for the increased severeness of injuries to these pedestrians. As a result, people who are hit by one of these larger and more powerful vehicles are more likely to suffer serious injuries or death. Pedestrian fatalities involving SUV’s jumped by 50% between 2013 to 2017. (GSHA.org)
For more information about the specific statistics for your city, visit the Texas Department of Transportation.