Another pedestrian has died after being hit by a car over the weekend, according to Gainesville police.
Saturday, a car driving north in the left lane hit a pedestrian near the 2100 block of Waldo who had walked into the roadway. The driver of the car, and that of another vehicle, pulled over to check on the man.
He was pronounced dead at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital’s emergency room.
No criminal charges have been filed against the driver involved in the accident.
GPD reminds drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians to obey traffic laws and be aware of their surroundings after responding to several traffic accidents this month, some fatal.
A county ordinance exists that prohibits pedestrians from being in the same space as vehicles for safety reasons, which includes anyone from a jaywalker to panhandlers standing in the median.
The county attorney’s office said that while the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has the ability to prosecute for violations of the 3-year-old ordinance, no cases have ever been fully prosecuted.
County Attorney Sylvia Torres said sheriff’s deputies in most cases direct the pedestrians in violation to another area.
The ordinance is not enforceable within the Gainesville city limits.
City commissioners voted to have the manager’s office bring them options for enforcement of different laws involving pedestrian safety. Commissioners David Arreola and Gigi Simmons were absent during the vote.
Yet another hit-and-run investigation, this one involving a runner who was critically injured when she was struck by an SUV at a troublesome location, is underway by the Gainesville Police Department.
The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. Thursday at 500 SE Williston Road where a connecting trail to the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail crosses the four traffic lanes.
GPD reported that the runner and a friend on a bike were crossing Williston. The runner was hit by a dark SUV. The driver slowed momentarily and then sped south on Williston.
The woman was taken to UF Health Shands Hospital and is in critical condition.
Nearly 250 new homes plus Health & Safety Improvements at 12 Shelters Statewide
Vermont Business Magazine When the Vermont Legislature turned to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board to manage $34.25 million in CARES Act funding appropriated in June and July, it came with a very short timeline: all the money had to be spent by the end of December. The federal funds, from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, were targeted to secure and rehabilitate permanent housing for homeless households and to make improvements to shelters in communities around the state.
Due to the layout of congregate housing, homeless shelters had been unable to follow the health and safety protocols for COVID-19 established by the Centers for Disease Control. Since March, most shelters had closed and more than 2,000 individuals were reported homeless; many were being housed in motels around the state.