Pedestrian dies in San Jose near shopping center; residents have asked for crosswalk

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A woman walking across the street was struck by a vehicle and killed Wednesday evening in San Jose near a mall where residents have complained about heavy traffic and the need for more safety.

It happened at the intersection of Perrymont Avenue and Little Orchard Street near Plant Shopping Center about 7:30 p.m. 

The woman died at the scene, and the driver is cooperating with the investigation. Loved ones of the person who was killed left candles here in their memory.

A neighbor said this is not the first time a pedestrian has been killed at this intersection and she’s protested in the past for a cross-walk to be installed here.

"The last time somebody was killed I asked, I actually put giant cardboard signs that said how many more people will die?" Gloria Ploch said. "It’s inevitable that this would happen when you have residents over here, and then you build a giant mall, and then there’s nowhere to cross."

The fatal accident set a new record for San Jose, the 31st pedestrian death this year so far. 

The previous record of fatal pedestrian deaths was back in 2019, when 29 pedestrians died. 

Numbers had been going down in the past two years during the pandemic.