A van hit and killed a woman on I-635 early Thursday morning, causing several lanes to close during rush hour traffic.
Dallas police say the crash happened around 1 a.m. in the 9500 block of Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, leading to the closure of some eastbound lanes for hours, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Initial investigations found that the woman was driving in the far right lane near the Skillman Street exit ramp. She went between two temporary construction barriers and hit a plastic barrier. Afterward, she returned to the highway, stopped in the second to the right lane, and got out of her car.
The woman was standing near her car when a van coming towards her hit her, according to the police.
The van driver stopped at the scene, but the woman, who hasn't been publicly identified, died there.
By 9:30 a.m., the Texas Department of Transportation incident tracker displayed that all eastbound lanes of the highway, except the exit lane, were still closed. Multiple DPD units were present as rush-hour traffic backed up for miles.
The city of Dallas ranks sixth for the most traffic-related deaths among 20 of the nation’s largest metros in 2020, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In response to the high number of traffic fatalities, the City introduced the “Vision Zero Action Plan,” an initiative that aimed for zero traffic fatalities and a 50% reduction in severe traffic injuries in Dallas by 2030.
The number of deaths on Dallas roads increased by 49% from 2010 to 2019, as mentioned in the Vision Zero action plan.
Council members highlighted during a recent meeting that speeding and running red lights are major causes of crashes, as The Dallas Express reported. They called for a greater law enforcement presence to enforce speed laws on roads more prone to fatal crashes.
“Vision Zero” has subsequently announced a new phase of the initiative, incorporating the city council’s suggestions. The strategy will concentrate on launching an educational campaign to address dangerous driving behaviors, installing advanced technologies to enhance safety measures further, and deploying more law enforcement to target aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.
