Pedestrian dies after being struck by vehicle in west Phoenix, 51st Avenue partially closed
A pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle on Wednesday morning near 51st Avenue and Encanto Boulevard.
Officers responded to the scene around 5:40 a.m. for reports of a crash involving a vehicle and an adult pedestrian, according to a statement from Sgt. Melissa Soliz, a spokesperson with Phoenix police. They were investigating what led to the collision and how many vehicles were involved.
The pedestrian, identified as 30-year-old Alberta Lavetta Cons, died from her injuries police said Wednesday afternoon.
A pickup truck was going south down 51st Avenue when traffic began to slow down and back up because of a broken-down car in the curb lane. The truck swerved to the left, Soliz said, and crashed into another truck traveling north. After the collision, the truck swerved to the right and hit Cons, who was standing on the sidewalk next to her broken-down car.
No other injuries were reported and everyone involved in the crash remained on scene, Soliz said. No signs of impairment were found during the investigation.
Arizona had the sixth highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country in 2020, the year with the most recent data available, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In fact, the state consistently ranks within the top ten worst states for pedestrian fatalities. In 2020, Arizona had 2.99 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people. For comparison, the national rate for the same year was 1.98 per 100,000.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pedestrian dies after being struck by vehicle in west Phoenix
