» 5 Pedestrians Killed In Past Two Weeks

Emergency personnel transport a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on Friday afternoon in the 5600 block of Wyoming NE. Albuquerque police had no details Friday about the accident. (jim thompson/journal)

A 71-year-old Albuquerque woman was fatally hit by a car backing out of a driveway as she was taking a daily walk through her Albuquerque neighborhood.

A 41-year-old man was struck by a vehicle after stumbling into busy Central Avenue near Presbyterian Hospital.

They are among the five New Mexicans killed in pedestrian accidents during the past two weeks. At least three others were injured, including a pedestrian who was struck in the Northeast Heights on Friday.

The fatalities follow a sharp increase in pedestrian deaths last year, when the number went from 27 to 47 from January through September, according to the most recent state Department of Transportation data.

In at least two of the most recent accidents, the victim either appeared intoxicated or had a history of alcohol problems.

On Friday afternoon, emergency personnel transported a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the 5600 block of Wyoming NE. An Albuquerque police spokesman said he had no information about the accident.

The increase in pedestrian accidents last year prompted the New Mexico Department of Transportation to study ways to reduce pedestrian accidents, said Franklin Garcia, acting director of the department’s traffic safety division.

Albuquerque police investigate a Jan. 3 fatal pedestrian accident at Central and Oak SE. (dean hanson/journal)

“Any increase is definitely a concern,” he said. “Any increase does drive our attention to work on countermeasures to reduce those numbers.”

Those measures include education programs for drivers and pedestrians offered through schools and community groups, Garcia said. Other strategies include identifying dangerous intersections and funding improvements in roads, crosswalks and lighting, he said.

Recent pedestrian accidents include:

♦ Dec. 27 — Robert Dutchover, 45, was killed on U.S. 70 east of Ruidoso Downs after he was struck by at least two vehicles on a divided highway near Glencoe, the Ruidoso News reported.

♦ Dec. 31 — Loretta Wagy, 71, died after she was struck by a vehicle backing out of a driveway in the 1400 block of Wellesley NE, according to police. Wagy, who was legally blind and deaf, was killed as she took her routine walk.

♦ Jan. 3 — Leon R. Melk, 41, was struck by a vehicle after stumbling into Central Avenue near Presbyterian Hospital, Albuquerque police said. No charges were filed against the driver.

♦ Tuesday — Lawrence Zaragoza, 24, was struck and killed about 9 p.m. on Interstate 40 about a mile east of Tijeras, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s spokesman said. The driver of a vehicle that struck Zaragoza was not injured, and no charges were filed.

♦ Wednesday — An unidentified adult male was struck and critically injured near the intersection of Zuni and Texas. The man, who appeared intoxicated, crossed the street in a dark area not intended as a pedestrian crossing. Police had no additional information about the accident Friday.

♦ Wednesday — Steve Pyler, 56, of Clovis was struck and killed early Wednesday after he apparently deliberately walked in front of a moving vehicle, police told the Clovis News Journal. Pyler, who had a history of DWI arrests, had earlier tried to jump in front of a truck, police said. Police took Pyler to a motel, but he later left his room, police said.

♦ Thursday — A man was struck and critically injured as he tried to cross Louisiana between Americas Parkway and Indian School NE outside of a cross walk, Albuquerque police said. The victim remained unidentified and was still in critical condition on Friday, police said.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal