MEMPHIS, Tenn. — We are taking a deeper look into problems facing pedestrians in the Bluff City after two people were killed in crashes in the last 48 hours.
As the sun rose Tuesday morning, Memphis Police were once again investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian. This one happened around 5:45 a.m. at Southern and Goodlett. First responders took two people to the hospital. Sadly, one of them died.
Family members told us Julia Maxwell was hit and killed as she walked to a bus stop at Winchester and Clarke less than 24 hours before. Police said the driver responsible didn’t stop.
Maxwell recently celebrated 35 years of service a Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital where she was a nursing assistant. She was dedicated to serving children and the community.
These cases are two of the three crashes Memphis Police have told us about involving pedestrians in the last 48 hours. New stats from the department reveal last year at this time 55 people died in pedestrian-related crashes compared to 69 deaths so far this year.
“I got hit right in front of my driveway and the guy kept going,” said Rodney Beecher, who lives off Winchester.
He lives near where Maxwell was killed Monday night and believes speed plays a big part in recent tragedies.
“I got hit right in front of my driveway and the guy kept going,” Beecher said.
“We’ve been trying to get speedbumps because this is a drag strip up and down this street,” Beecher said. “They could put a camera up here. They put them everywhere else.”
We reached out to the city, requesting an interview about the issue of pedestrian-related deaths in the city. We were told they were looking into our request and we’re waiting to hear back.