A pedestrian was left in critical condition after being struck by a car late Friday night near a Mega Saver on Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha. The crash happened after 11 p.m., and investigators say the cause remains under investigation.
Details about the pedestrian’s identity, the driver involved, and the precise cause of the crash have not been released, according to KETV, which first reported the incident. The stretch of Northwest Radial Highway where the crash occurred has drawn scrutiny from both city officials and neighbors for years over speeding and repeated collisions.
A Corridor With a History of Danger
Just months earlier, in May, another crash at 50th Street and Northwest Radial Highway struck a pedestrian, damaged a nearby building and severed a gas line, according to reporting from WOWT. The outlet noted that the condition of that pedestrian was not made available at the time. Neighbors told the station that speeding drivers have caused multiple crashes over the years along that stretch, resulting in property damage, injuries and at least one death.
City officials have acknowledged the danger. Omaha officials described the Northwest Radial Highway corridor as a high-risk area that they are examining for long-term safety solutions, per the same WOWT report. One Omaha City Council member said at the time that the city planned additional enforcement, including speed traps, to make sure drivers were obeying basic traffic laws.
City Council Weighed a Traffic Study
The scrutiny on the corridor predates this year’s crashes. Omaha City Council President Pete Festersen has pointed to state data showing someone dies in a crash along the corridor every year, according to KETV. Festersen said speeding along the corridor is an issue the city wants to address to improve safety, noting that up to 30,000 vehicles travel through it every day…