On January 18th, 2025, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into a fatal nighttime pedestrian accident that happened on Highway 6 near the Mission Bend Neighborhood of Houston, Texas. The results are still pending. What they know is that at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, the decedent was attempting to cross Highway 6 when he was struck and killed by an elderly woman. The driver showed no signs of impairment. So why did this wreck happen, and why is the investigation ongoing?
Crossing Highways in Poorly Lighted or Unlighted Areas at Night
There are many causes of nighttime pedestrian accidents. Since 2009, there has been a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths at night, with the number of pedestrians killed per million residents going from 10 to 18. In 2021, there were 7,300 pedestrians killed in the United States, and ¾ of them occurred at night. There are many potential factors that may be contributing to this rise.
First of all, pedestrians do not always realize how difficult it is for a driver on a busy street to see a person on foot attempting to cross the roadway. They may assume a driver will slow down or change lanes to avoid a pedestrian in the roadway when in fact, the driver is wholly unaware of their presence until it is too late to react.
Moreover, the darkness and headlamps of the approaching vehicles often give observers a false impression of how quickly the car is approaching—making it easy to misjudge the time the individual has to get across. In this case, it appears the pedestrian may have simply misjudged the time.
Distractions Increase the Risk of Nighttime Pedestrian Accidents
While the investigation into the above case has not found any evidence of distraction at this time, one thing that investigators must take a look at in nighttime driving accidents is whether the driver was distracted at the time. Cellphone use while driving is a common distraction, particularly among younger drivers. Glancing at a cell phone to send a text, check a score, or read an email can easily result in a distracted driving accident. Distracted driving killed 3308 people in the United States in 2022, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association. In order to determine whether this was a factor, often cell phone records must be subpoenaed and reviewed to determine whether the phone was in use at the time of the crash.
Drowsy Driving Increases the Risk of Nighttime Pedestrian Accidents
Just as reaction times are slowed when a driver is impaired, they are slowed when the driver is exhausted and fighting falling asleep behind the wheel. Drivers who will be on the road late need to prepare themselves accordingly. Getting plenty of sleep before the trip and drinking caffeinated drinks can help drivers stay alert, giving them a better chance of seeing pedestrians. The police have not indicated whether drowsy driving may have been a factor in this case. Determining this after the fact can be extremely difficult for investigators.
Conclusion
If your loved one is killed in a pedestrian accident, the police may have a difficult time evaluating the cause. Your loved one is not there to tell his side of the story. Thus, investigating the true cause can be challenging. If you suspect your loved one may have been killed as the result of driver negligence, talk to a Houston car crash lawyer about your rights today. Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., has been handling car accidents in Mission Bend, Bellaire, and all of Houston since 1979.