News

Pedestrian Trying to Flag Down Assistance on I-275 Struck and Killed

January 25, 2011 - Tampa, FL - Two women stranded on the side of I-275 were involved in a fatal pedestrian accident on the morning of January 21.

ABC Action News Tampa reports that Barbara Crispin, 32, was standing outside her vehicle with another unidentified passenger when the pedestrian accident happened. The vehicle had run out of gas and Crispin and her companion were attempting to flag down help from passing vehicles.

Crispin remained near the vehicle in the emergency lane while the other woman stood in the southbound outside lane of I-275 just north of Bearrs Avenue. Janice Gregory, 64, was traveling south on the highway in the outside lane when she struck the passenger, who was thrown into the air and hit Crispin.

The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene while Crispin was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital with serious injuries. Gregory was not injured and police have not released any details on whether she will face any charges in connection with this crash.

Drivers who are stranded on the roadside need to exercise extreme caution when walking alongside busy highways such as I-275. Narrow shoulders, poor lighting and other conditions may cause drivers to be unaware of roadside pedestrians until it is too late to react. Pedestrian accidents often result in serious or fatal injury that may require a St. Petersburg car accident attorney to file a personal injury claim.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' 2009 Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of St. Petersburg, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to: 

• single-car accidents;
• hit-and-run accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by aggressive driving or distracted drivers. 

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim's family member or friend and would like the blog removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.

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