Three pedestrians were struck and killed by vehicles on Lakeland roadways in two separate accidents Wednesday night through Thursday morning, continuing Lakeland’s legacy as one of the most dangerous places in America for pedestrians.
The unrelated accidents happened in the span of five hours — between 10:49 p.m. and 3:44 a.m., officials with the Lakeland Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
Pedestrians in a crosswalk: The first accident happened at the intersection of South Florida Avenue and Imperial Boulevard.
LPD officials said two pedestrians from Everett, Mass., 54-year-old Ronald Jeanbaptiste and 46-year-old Yanique Pierre, were attempting to cross South Florida Avenue on Wednesday night when they were struck by a Toyota Yaris driven by a 22-year-old woman. Witnesses told police the driver had a green light, according to LPD.
The Yaris was southbound on South Florida Avenue when the couple entered the crosswalk and were hit by the car. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple’s young daughter was a few feet away, but was not hurt, police said. She is now in the care of family members. The family had been staying in a nearby hotel, police said.
The area is well-lit, but is also a busy intersection, with multiple shops, restaurants and businesses.
The driver remained at the scene and was not hurt. The roadway was shut down for approximately four hours as investigators processed the scene.
There were no “environmental contributors to the crash,” and no indication the driver was impaired, police said. No charges or citations have been filed.
Lakeland police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with additional information to contact Traffic Crash Investigator Travis Payne at travis.payne@lakelandgov.net.
Pedestrian in black clothing: The second accident happened at Combee Road and Main Street in unincorporated Lakeland in the early morning hours of Aug. 8.
Sheriff’s Office investigators said evidence and a witness statement showed the victim, a 39-year-old man, had been walking in a northbound lane of Combee Road. A box truck was also traveling north and was preparing to make a right turn onto Main Street when the victim was hit.
The victim was wearing black pants and a black shirt at the time of the crash in an area that does have streetlights.
Polk County Fire Rescue rushed the victim to a local hospital with traumatic head injuries, but the man died shortly after arriving at the emergency room.
The driver of the box truck was not hurt and is cooperating with the investigation.
Officials are trying to reach the man’s next of kin. His last known address is in Orlando.
Dangerous local roads: According to a report from Smart Growth America, the Lakeland-Winter Haven area ranks 21st in the nation for the most dangerous roads in America. The area averaged 3.12 pedestrian fatalities per every 100,000 residents between 2018 and 2022.
Before Smart Growth changed its methodology this year, Polk ranked in the top 10 for multiple years in a row, according to Chuck Barmby, planning and transportation manager for the city of Lakeland.
“As in previous years, we found that not everyone lives and walks with the same risk,” the report states. “Black and Native Americans, older adults, and people walking in low-income communities die at higher rates and face higher levels of risk compared to all Americans.”
The report states that America’s roads are “dangerous by design” to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe, with 7,522 people nationawide struck and killed while walking in 2022, an average of more than 20 per day.
“Unfortunately, this crisis will continue to get worse until those in power finally make safety for everyone who uses our roads a top priority,” they concluded.
In 2022, Polk County was aiming to apply for a share of a $5-6 billion federal grant to help make roadways safer.
Julia Davis, transportation planning administrator for the Polk Transportation Planning Organization, said Polk County received a grant for $720,000 from the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Users, also known as SS4A, to prepare a Vision Zero Action Plan.
“The County will match that grant with $200,000, so this planning study is worth nearly $1 million,” Davis said.
She added that the County is in the process of hiring a consulting firm to carry out the study and it is expected to begin later this summer and last about 18 months. It will:
- Identify the top 20 most dangerous roads and top 20 intersections.
- Develop high impact projects and strategies for implementation.
- Focus on public engagement in underserved communities.
Once it is complete, Polk County and its municipalities will be eligible for future Federal SS4A grants for implementation.
Barmby said that between the county and the Florida Department of Transportation, substantial improvements have been made at the Combee Road-Main Street intersection over the years.
Lakeland Traffic Operations Manager Tess Schwartz said the city applied for a federal “Safe Streets for All” grant in this year’s round of funding, with awards going out sometime this month.
She said if the grant is not awarded in this round, there is another opportunity for agencies to revise and resubmit at the end of August.
It is also unclear the amount of the grant because partial awards can be given.
Other 2024 pedestrian fatalities:
Feb. 11 — 23-Jose Baez Belnier died after being hit by a pickup truck near the intersection of U.S. 98 South (Bartow Road) and North Massachusetts Avenue around 5 a.m.
Jan. 12 — A 59-year-old woman died at Lakeland Regional Health after she was hit by an unknown vehicle traveling south on Kennedy Boulevard. The woman was walking south along the roadway and was found unresponsive in the grass.
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