A woman was struck and killed by a van on I-635 early Thursday morning, leading to a multiple-lane closure during rush hour traffic.
Dallas police say the crash occurred around 1 a.m. in the 9500 block of Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, causing a portion of the eastbound lanes to close for hours, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The preliminary investigation discovered that the woman was traveling in the far right lane near the Skillman Street exit ramp when she drove between two temporary construction barriers and hit a plastic barrier. She veered back onto the highway, stopping in the second to the right lane, and exited her car.
The woman was standing near her car when an oncoming van hit her, police said.
The driver of the van stopped and remained at the scene; however, the woman, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.
As of 9:30 a.m., the Texas Department of Transportation incident tracker showed that all eastbound lanes of the highway, except the exit lane, were still blocked off. Multiple DPD units remained on the scene as rush-hour traffic backed up for miles.
The city of Dallas ranks sixth for the most traffic-related deaths among 20 of the nation’s largest metros in 2020, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In response to the steep number of traffic fatalities, the City enacted the “Vision Zero Action Plan,” an initiative that committed to zero traffic fatalities and a 50% reduction in severe traffic injuries in Dallas by 2030.
The number of deaths on Dallas roads increased by 49% from 2010 to 2019, as reported in the Vision Zero action plan.
Council members pointed out at a recent meeting that speeding and running red lights are major causes of crashes, as The Dallas Express reported. They called for a heavier law enforcement presence to enforce speed laws on roads more prone to fatal crashes.
“Vision Zero” has since announced a new phase of the initiative, implementing the city council’s suggestions. The strategy will focus on enacting an educational campaign to target dangerous driving behaviors, implementing advanced technologies to enhance safety measures further, and deploying more law enforcement to target aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.
