Las Vegas sees another pedestrian fatality; third in a week
A pedestrian was struck and killed in the middle of Martin Luther King Boulevard near Alta Drive on Saturday night.
Police have not identified the victim, but relatives at the scene said he was 32-year-old Todd Harris.
The man was struck just south of Pinto Lane by a car traveling north on Martin Luther King about 7 p.m.
Family members said the man was high when he ran into the middle of the street, rambling and yelling "Oh Lord, Jesus" when a car struck and dragged him. He was pinned under the car and declared dead at the scene, they said.
"He got caught up in the streets out here," his 21-year-old cousin, Mary Crystal, said, adding that while he had faults he was still a good person. "He was really sweet. He was loving."
Harris leaves behind several children, family members said.
He is the third pedestrian killed in a traffic accident in Las Vegas within a week.
A 12-year-old trick-or-treater was struck and killed about 8:20 p.m. Monday. Faith Love was struck by a car driven by Justin Caramanica at Sandstone Bluffs Drive and Wesley Lake Place in Summerlin, according to police.
Caramanica, 41, has been charged with felony drunken driving.
On Tuesday night, a 55-year-old woman was killed while crossing Cheyenne Avenue outside a marked crosswalk near Las Vegas Boulevard. Police said Betty Packer, 69, who was driving a Ford Taurus east on Cheyenne, struck the woman about 7:13 p.m. The pedestrian was not identified by the Clark County coroner's office Wednesday. She died at the scene, police said.
There also have been two recent deadly crashes involving pedestrians near the city.
On Oct. 30 , 15-year-old Lucas Ruiz-Brenes was crossing Center Street near Dogwood Street in Henderson when he was struck and killed by a Mercedes-Benz SUV, Henderson police said. Ruiz-Brenes was not in a marked crosswalk. The driver, 77-year-old Imre Dayka, was booked on a charge of felony driving under the influence.
On Oct. 21, three girls were injured, and one of them later died, when they were struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk at Camino Eldorado and Bent Arrow Drive in North Las Vegas. Amelia "Mia" Decker, 6, died from injuries suffered in the crash.
The 78-year-old driver who struck the girls did not brake and carried one child almost 150 feet, North Las Vegas police said. The crash is still under investigation, and police have not released the name of the driver.
In addition, a 16-year-old girl was struck by a Clark County School District bus on Thursday afternoon and seriously injured. The girl was crossing in a crosswalk at Brooks Avenue and Berg Street in North Las Vegas. She remained hospitalized Saturday night.
Contact Jessica Fryman at jfryman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.
