Tragic Death Today in Indianapolis Reminds Us That Pedestrian Accidents Can Kill

It’s Christmas week and we’ll never know what plans were in the thoughts of Miriam Macdonald, 80, this morning, as she strolled along the northbound side of Georgetown Road at around 8:30 am.  Mrs. Macdonald was walking along, near the intersection of Georgetown Road and 71st Street, when she was hit by a vehicle driven by Fred Johnson, 71, another Indianapolis resident. Mrs. Macdonald was no match for the Sports Utility Vehicle; she passed away today at St. Vincent Hospital.   The loss of a loved one is always hard but to have this happen during the holidays is especially grievous: our sincerest condolences to her family and friends. We don’t know yet if weather conditions were a factor here (was snow forcing Mrs. Macdonald to trudge in the roadway?) or if alcohol played a role (though reports are the driver has been tested, no results have been released at the time of this post). Last January, another Indianapolis woman was walking along the road and was struck and killed by a pickup truck.  Angela K. Lewis, 34, may have been in the roadway according to media reports: it was 7 o’clock in the evening, dark, and there was snow on the ground. A year before that (January 2009), Amber Raines, 20, died after she was struck by a police car as she was crossing Keystone Avenue. It was around nine in the evening, and Raines was with friends as they walked to a nearby New Year’s Eve party. With today’s news, please take heed:  people do die while walking along Indianapolis streets — something that we never think would happen.  Particularly where snow is a factor, pedestrians need to be aware of how vulnerable they are just walking along the street. Pedestrian accidents do happen.  Be careful out there, Indianapolis!