21-year-old man killed after being struck by 3 vehicles; pedestrian deaths hit all-time high in 2022

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Tuesday night, a 21-year-old man was hit and killed by several cars while crossing the street near the 7500 block of N. 99th Street.

A pedestrian safety advocacy group said the number of pedestrian deaths in Milwaukee has been growing in the last couple of years.

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, the 21-year-old was running westbound near Greenwood Terrace and N. 99th Street when he was hit by the first driver, a 75-year-old male. The second driver, a 21-year-old female, was right behind car one, and collided with the victim shortly after. The third driver, who was behind car two, also struck the pedestrian.

The third driver fled the scene. Drivers one and two are cooperating with police.

Mary Beth McGinnis, of MilWALKee Walks, a pedestrian safety advocacy group, said a record number of pedestrians were hit last year.

"In 2022, about 23 pedestrians lost their lives in Milwaukee. That was a high over the past number of years," said McGinnis.

McGinnis said in the last five years, the number of pedestrian deaths has only increased. Her organization has counted 83 deaths since 2018. Most of those fatalities were Black pedestrians. She said infrastructure and reckless driving are the culprits.

"For infrastructure, I think we know, I think a lot of us know that our roads are not necessarily safe for walking around. So streetlights are a major challenge in parts of the city where we have very poor lighting. You see a lot of crashes happening at night or at dawn," said McGinnis.

McGinnis said she encourages folks to reach out to MilWALKee Walks to learn more about programs available and pedestrian rights.

"Being educated and being able to speak to, 'I want to see a specific traffic circle here, I want to see a specific speed direction here,' so that your alder knows exactly what you want to see," said McGinnis.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips.

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