Pedestrian dies after being hit by taxicab in Henderson

A man died after being struck by a taxicab in Henderson late Wednesday afternoon, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The identity of the deceased man was not released.

Trooper Loy Hixson said the incident occurred about 6:35 p.m. near Sunset Road and Marks Street. Hixson said a driver in a sport utility vehicle taxi was traveling east on Sunset when the pedestrian attempted to cross Sunset from north to south outside of a crosswalk.

Witnesses said the driver of the taxi had a green light and was driving the speed limit, Hixson said. The driver was cooperating with authorities. The pedestrian died on the scene. Hixson said that when pedestrians don't use crosswalks, far too often they end up dead.

"Despite the education we're putting out there - the warnings, the reminders - pedestrians are still not adhering," Hixson said.

He said pedestrian fatalities involving vehicles have been a huge problem valleywide. In the jurisdictions of the Highway Patrol, Las Vegas police, Henderson police and North Las Vegas police, pedestrian fatalities increased 200 percent in July, compared with July 2011, Hixson said.

Pedestrian fatals caused by vehicle collisions have decreased overall since then but still are up throughout the valley in 2012 compared with last year, Hixson said.