A 74-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle during a walk last Saturday night in Phoenix. Police said Manuel Porfido Madril was hit around 11:10 p.m. near 16th Street and Pinchot Avenue and later died at a hospital.
According to KTAR News, Madril was crossing mid-block when a northbound vehicle struck him, and the driver remained at the scene. Investigators said impairment is not suspected and any decision on charges will come after the investigation.
Pedestrian crashes remain a statewide problem
Pedestrian-involved collisions continue to be a major traffic safety concern in Arizona. Data from the Arizona Department of Transportation show that the 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report recorded 2,079 pedestrian crashes statewide and a five-year high in pedestrian and bicyclist collisions. Speed and impairment were cited as leading contributors. Those statewide trends help explain why wide, multi-lane roads like 16th Street can be especially risky for people trying to cross on foot.
Local crossing upgrades and safety work
The City of Phoenix has been reviewing mid-block crossings and adding safety features at busy corridors as part of its Streets Transportation projects. City materials describe pedestrian-activated signals, including HAWK (pedestrian hybrid beacon) signals, and other engineering tools as options when crash patterns and pedestrian demand justify them. Officials point to these kinds of targeted engineering changes, along with enforcement and education efforts, as central to reducing deadly collisions…