LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's transportation initiative reports pedestrian fatalities are down this year, even as a deadly crash Friday morning underscores ongoing safety concerns on some of the city's most dangerous streets.
Just after 3 a.m. Sunday, police said a person crossing the street was hit and killed at the intersection where St. Andrews Church Road becomes Manslick Road at Palatka Road.
Louisville Metro Police said the pedestrian was wearing all dark clothing and disregarded the crosswalk when attempting to walk across Manslick Road westbound. The person died at the scene.
"It's scary that something happened here and now (the person) is dead," said Deebak Kumar, who works at a convenience store across the street.
Kumar described the stretch of road, surrounded by businesses, as dangerous.
"People come here and it's too fast," he said, pointing out that there are no sidewalks in the busy corridor.
Vision Zero, Louisville's transportation safety initiative aimed at eliminating roadway deaths by 2050, said pedestrian fatalities have dropped by 40% over the past year.
There were 29 deaths from September 2024 to September 2025. That's down from 49 during the same period a year ago.
Part of Vision Zero's approach includes identifying problematic roads where infrastructure changes need to happen. This work could include rightsizing, adding lights and building sidewalks.
"If we can do more to support that pedestrian friendly infrastructure then that's going to help us save lives," said Claire Yates, the program manager.
The "High Injury Network" is a list the organization created that provides a data-driven and focused list of corridors where a majority of these fatal and suspected serious injury crashes are occurring. These streets make up only 5% of Louisville's non-interstate mileage but account for more than half of fatal crashes.
Manslick Road, where Sunday's crash happened, is one of the corridors identified for improvements. It is 24th in the list's priority rankings.
"We've identified the worst of the worst, and so we're systematically going after them and seeing what we can do on those corridors to improve safety," Yates said.
Additionally, the Federal Highway Administration reports 76% of pedestrian fatalities occur in the dark, highlighting the risks on poorly lit roads without sidewalks.
"Research shows that they reduce fatal and serious injury crashes," said Yates. "That's our entire goal here."
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