San Jose on track for record number of pedestrian fatalities in 2022

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose is on pace to break its recent record for the total yearly number of pedestrian fatalities. San Jose police have responded to four separate accidents involving pedestrians in one 24-hour period from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. 

Police are concerned about the trend and are asking pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to pay more attention out on the roadways.  On Friday morning a woman was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot at the Costco store at Automation Parkway and Hostetter Road in the city’s Berryessa district.  While the victim in this latest incident is expected to survive – and the driver did remain at the scene – the recent number of these accidents has the attention of police. 

"It is shocking to say the least. The police department’s notifications to drivers, to schools, seem to fall on deaf ears sometimes," said officer Steven Aponte, a spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department.  So far this year San Jose police have recorded 28 pedestrian fatalities.  That compares to 19 at this same time in 2021.  But this year’s year-to-date number is tied for the number reached in all of 2019 which was the highest number in recent years.  "If folks follow the rules of the road, use common sense, and are paying attention we can prevent every single fatality in the City of San Jose," Officer Aponte said. 

On Thursday night at about 7:30pm, at the intersection of Lundy and Sajack Avenues, elderly woman who was not using a crosswalk was hit and killed.  The driver in this case did remain at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.

SEE ALSO: 'Elderly' woman killed crossing the street in San Jose

Earlier on Thursday, around 1pm, a driver hit a woman on a bicycle on Monterey Road near Tully Road.  The cyclist’s injuries were not life-threatening. Just a half an hour before that, around 12:30 Thursday afternoon, a driver hit an elderly male pedestrian just one mile to the south on Monterey road and Montecito Vista Drive.  The driver in this case did not stop at the scene and this is considered an open hit-and-run case. "Obviously fleeing from the scene of an accident causes the type of crime to elevate to a felony. It imposes severe penalties including prison time," said Officer Aponte. 

Police say changing driving behaviors will go a long way toward reducing these numbers.