Early Sunday morning a pedestrian was apparently struck by an unmarked police cruiser, according to the Dallas Police Department.
The incident took place in the 1400 block of Botham Jean Boulevard just prior to 3:30 a.m. on February 19, Fox 4 reported.
Dallas PD Spokeswoman Melinda Gutierrez confirmed in an email to The Dallas Express that it was an unmarked police vehicle involved in this incident.
“The preliminary investigation determined the pedestrian was hit by an unmarked police vehicle,” said Gutierrez.
Police could not release many details, but Gutierrez did say that the pedestrian has been hospitalized.
“The officer stayed at the scene and Dallas Fire Rescue transported the pedestrian to a local hospital in critical condition,” said Gutierrez.
Dallas PD did not share whether the officer will face any charges nor give any indication of what may have contributed to the collision.
The investigation is ongoing, and an accident report will be made available once completed, according to police.
Pedestrian safety has been at the heart of a recent awareness campaign operated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
The agency reported that pedestrian deaths account for one in five of all traffic fatalities in Texas.
They are also on the rise, with 2021 clocking in 5,366 crashes involving pedestrians statewide of which 841 resulted in death. This represents a roughly 15% increase in pedestrian fatalities over the previous year.
TxDOT’s campaign points to the need for both drivers and pedestrians to employ better, safer practices on Texas streets and roadways. It says that the top contributing factors to pedestrian-related accidents are:
- Pedestrians failing to yield the right-of-way to vehicles, such as by not crossing at crosswalks or by failing to stop when the light is red.
- Driver inattention — distracted driving has led to some cities banning cellphone use altogether when driving.
- Drivers not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. Since the Lisa Torry Smith Act of 2021, if failure to do so results in an injury, a driver may face criminal charges.
- Speeding — driving at high speeds has caused multiple headline-grabbing accidents of late, even on residential roads.