Pedestrian Fatalities on Scranton Streets
According to a June report in the Scranton Times Tribune, Scranton, PA had some of the deadliest roads in Lackawanna County. From 2007 to 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recorded 35 pedestrian deaths in Lackawanna County. Of those 35 pedestrian deaths, 14 were in Scranton, including two alcohol-related pedestrian fatalities.
A car accident attorney from the Foley Law Firm can help you if you were injured or lost a loved one in a pedestrian collision. Below, we want to go over some of the findings from the Scranton Times Tribune report and note some dangerous stretches of road in Scranton.
Statistics on Pedestrian Fatalities
The Scranton Times Tribune report focused on pedestrian accident data from 2007-2017 in the following seven counties:
- Lackawanna County
- Luzerne County
- Monroe County
- Pike County
- Susquehanna County
- Wayne County
- Wyoming County
During this span of time, there were 1,305 fatalities on state roads; 134 of these fatalities involved pedestrians. One in four pedestrian deaths involved alcohol consumption; in 42 percent of these cases, it was the pedestrian who was intoxicated at the time of the fatal crash.
Deadly Roadways in Scranton
The report noted the following dangerous roadways in Scranton:
- Main Avenue - Connecting Scranton to Taylor, roughly 12,000-14,000 vehicles travel along Main Avenue on a daily basis. The report notes 6 pedestrian fatalities around Main Ave. This makes South and North Main Ave. the deadliest stretch of road for pedestrians in the seven counties analyzed above. In addition to the sheer number of vehicles, the area along the road is densely populated and lined with numerous businesses and residences.
- Lackawanna Avenue - There were two pedestrian fatalities along Lackawanna Ave. The Scranton Times Tribune report noted that a signal at Lackawanna and Penn Avenue will undergo improvements to improve pedestrian safety.
- North Washington Street - The Scranton Times Tribune notes two fatalities along North Washington St from 2007-2017. At the time of the report, no details were related with regard to safety improvements to protect pedestrians.
Keep in mind that these statistics only cover fatal crashes involving pedestrians. There are countless injuries and near-fatal accidents that affect pedestrians each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 129,000 pedestrians received emergency room treatment for non-fatal injuries in 2015.
Bicyclists Should Be Careful as Well
The Scranton Times Tribune Report also highlighted the death of a bicyclist along South Main Avenue and West Locust Street. This fatality was counted among pedestrians deaths. This 2016 bicyclist fatality involved a driver who was under he influence of heroin and other substances.
What Scranton Pedestrians Can Do to Stay Safe
Given the potential hazards on major roads, we advise Scranton pedestrians to heed the following safety advice:
- Only cross at crosswalks
- Use and obey pedestrian signals whenever possible
- Wear bright-colored or reflective clothing when walking at night or in low-visibility conditions
- Always walk on the sidewalk and away from traffic
- Avoid being intoxicated while walking along busy roads
- Look both ways before crossing an intersection
Contact Our Team of Attorneys
For more information about your legal options after a pedestrian accident, it’s imperative that you contact our team of injury accident attorneys. You can reach our law firm by phone here in Scranton by calling (570) 209-8235.