Motor Vehicle vs Pedestrian fatal accident The Village of Dunedin
 

At approximately 6:34 PM, Oct. 19th, a 69 yr old Villages Resident was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while walking on Piney Woods Path at Valleybrook Way in the Village of Dunedin. The victim died from his injuries. Even though not clearly posted, this area as per Section 17-5 has a 20 mph speed limit.

We recently moved back to The Village of Osceola Hills in TV. Our house is on Deskin Lane which has a designated (but NOT posted) 20 mph speed limit. While out walking on Deskin Lane, cars and trucks zoom past us going 30 mph and more. Like almost all of TV streets there are NO posted 20 mph speed signs here.

On Sept. 9th, I telephoned the Sumter County Public Works to inquire about having 20 mph speed signs posted on Deskin Lane. The County Commissioner stated that he would look into it. In a very short time I received a call from a Sumter County Sheriff's Supervisor. The SCSO Supervisor was receptive to my concerns, conducted himself in a highly professional manner and is a great ambassador for the SCSO. SCSO placed a Mobile Electronic Speed Monitor on Deskin Lane near St. Stephen Street. Most motorist slowed down when seeing the device but others just flew by repeatedly at 25-35 mph. After about 3 weeks the sign was relocated to another street in TV.

Unfortunately the SCSO is understaffed and under paid so the likelihood of the SCSO doing more traffic enforcement does not appear to be happening in the near future. We residents of The Villages collectively pay a lot of money in taxes and unfortunately more people will die in TV from motor vehicle vs motor vehicle and motor vehicle vs pedestrian accidents. SLOW DOWN people. We need more SCSO's on the streets.

Like most noteworthy news articles the 2 1/2" long article regarding Tuesday's fatal accident was buried in Section C, Page 4 of The Villages Daily Sun. Instead of hiding news worthy items like this, which is a disservice to Villages Residents; stories like the fatal accident should be on the front page of the paper. We deserve better!

I feel your pain, we live near Pinellas place, and most cars and golf carts go the speed limits but several times a day I see cars hitting close to 50 mph on a marked 30 mph road, same goes for Buena Vista, Morse, etc., way too much speeding.

Not defending anyone. We tend to expect demand perfect, it does not exist.

Front page news? Hiding this event? Where to put any story is of course the editors choice. Hiding the event, they could simply chose not to report it. Putting a speed sensor was a declaration if interest. I would expect it records the readings-collecting data.

One of the insurance companies offered a discount if you would put a monitor in your car to access your driving. It failed because few would agree to that. There are endless posts about speeding golf carts, speeding cars, bikes, stop signs, walkers, dogs, kids etc. It will not happen but all should review what they do, that is what you are most in control of.

For walkers, and bike riders, some do, too many don't- wear bright colors-it may save your life.

What was the value of the house??

:bigbow::bigbow:

You are so right VT. We also live near Pinellas Place and speeding is common, although it seems most stay around 35 mph. Morse and Buena Vista are another story altogether. I stay under forty on those two thoroughfares and try to stay at 35. Traffic flies by me regularly. In fact I am almost shocked when someone in front or behind me goes for any length of time at the speed limit. I almost never see sheriffs patrols on those roads and I have an idea they are discouraged from issuing tickets as it might be bad for business. What is everyone in a hurry for?

I understand the concern about speeding and 50 in a 30 is a bit much. Do you really think that if the car that struck the pedestrian had been traveling only 20mph then the person would have survived? When 4000 lbs of vehicle strikes 150 lbs of human the vehicle always wins.

Rather than determining how slow a vehicle needs to go in order to safely strike a human, perhaps it would be wise to look into why the collision occurred and work to prevent that. Was the driver not paying attention? Was there a blind curve (doubtful)? Was the pedestrian walking in the center of the street or crossing the street without looking?

I'm not proposing to blame the victim , I'm just suggesting not to jump to the conclusion that speed was the primary and only cause.

On another note, I almost rear ended a driver on the inside lane of one of the round-abouts. It looked like he missed turning into a development and had plans to try turn through the outside lane traffic. A good toot on the horn, and he started going around the circle again. SMH.

How is it known that a)they are understaffed b)underpaid. An auto going 5mph can snap a telephone pole. Since this post never specifies how it's known they were speeding the whole post is null and void.

Was the pedestrian walking on the proper side of the road? Were they wearing properly colored clothing? Did the pedestrian have any health issues? Did the driver have any health issues?

There are so many variables that aren't even addressed that blaming speed of the auto is ludicrous. It takes hard work to find a cause why soft tissue bi-peds get whacked while walking, but that is life and to just select a reason because it's easy way out is actually a bit lazy.

The other news outlet stated that the gentleman walked into the path of the oncoming pickup truck according to the state police, no mention of speeding or the driver being at fault. It's very sad that this happened but the OP is missing some of the facts.

That's too bad.

Oh, so you live on 'lower Deskin'. That's REALLY too bad.

We live on Yardham. Sometimes we would exit on lower Deskin but some idiot speeding around the curve almost hit us, so now we only exit on 'upper Deskin'.

Install speed cameras. Once people start getting tickets in the mail word will get out and people will slow down.

Says the person traveling in the left lane of I-75 doing 70 MPH.

I only arrived in TV in the spring so I'm bracing myself for when the snowbirds arrive and the traffic really gets out of control! At times, I've found traffic in TV worse than I had anticipated, but at other times, there's very little depending where you drive.

TV is not ask bad as other Florida hot spots..........not even close.

It’s because they are all driving the speed limit. Like a funeral procession except in both lanes

Florida in general seems to have an epidemic of fast, irresponsible drivers. it's not limited to TV. in fact compared to other cities, it's downright sedate here

Sorry to hear about the fatal incident, but speed is usually not the reason for the crash. It is inattention. People are not watching where they are going. Add to that vision issues for people who should no longer be driving. This state needs to retest older drivers (vision and road test).

Law-enforcement needs to get out of the parking lot and on patrol. There are far too many stop sign sliders and red light runners! It is interesting to note how many law-enforcement vehicles show up after an accident.

You know, speeding could be one issue but pickups have gotten ridiculously huge as well.....mowing down anything unfortunate enough to get in their path.

Self driving vehicles just can't come soon enough!

Joe

If the guy had stepped out in front of an electric car, he might be just as dead. It doesn't matter how big pick ups are if you simply stay out of their path.

Even though it sounds like the pedestrian was at fault from a post on here, it's still a good reminder to always walk on the side of oncoming traffic so you can see what's coming at you and maybe have a chance to avoid damage.

We read another account of the incident which stated the victim stepped into the path of the vehicle. Even at the speed limit, it may well have been unavoidable. 🙏

You ain't seen speed until you lived on Boone Ct. in Orange Blossom. It's Talledega my friends. Cars, trucks, golf carts, motorcycles, Segways, walkers, joggers and those true daredevils, bicyclists. An everyday occurrence is to hear tires screeching, horns blowing. curses being exchanged. Makes for quite the theater.

You are right. Travel US 19 from Clearwater to South Pasadena. TV is tame compared to that.

Sometimes takes more than one to make an accident
 

I am not assigning blame to the driver or walker.
I drive a lot in the The Villages during all hours and see so many people walking with their backs to oncoming traffic, wearing dark clothes and listening to ipods or talking totally distracted with their friends, that they never hear or see me coming. Used to be that we were taught as kids to walk facing oncoming traffic and pay attention to what's around us.

Drivers are speeding while checking their phone for messages, chatting, conducting business or trying to find that thing that they dropped on the floor board.

Everyone needs to pay attention to what the heck is going on around them when they are out walking, biking or driving.

Enough said. Hope some folks change their walking & driving habits but, am not holding my breath. :(

This is an all over problem. All our streets are 20 but few do it.

Agreed. I’ve noticed some intersections have red-light cameras. Why not speed cameras as well? Both serve the same purpose. Stop lights and speed limits are there for good reasons and people drivers do NOT have the discretion to ignore those reasons.

Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Speed Cameras and shut down the gates, resident access only.
Problem solved.

The larger daily problem is the non residents that cut through TV.

Contractor access by approval only, and a contractor badge.
If they get clocked speeding, they lose their badge.

I had Johnny Nascar tailgating/ Drafting me and then blow past me at the Hwy 441 / Morse gate.
I rode the center white line to the gate and then at the gate, I stopped hard before the sensor. That car hit the gate arm.
Nice $250 penalty ( Gate Arm repair) for being an idiot.

Mr Nascar assumed I would trip the sensor first.

NOT!!!!!!

Hee Hee

Calling for more enforcement while publicly bragging about breaking the law and causing a traffic incident. Interesting attitude.

"Hee-Hee"

If that camera were there, you could be charged with reckless driving and failure to keep right!

HEE-HEE!!!
(nice $750 fine)

Clothing?
 

I walk very day. I see dumb stuff every day it’s dangerous out there. It is the problem in this world that nobody is held accountable Anymore. It’s always the dead guys fault because of what he is wearing. Come on.

Guess what? If the pedestrian (like many) is wearing all dark clothing at night without any reflectors or light and walking in the road instead of the sidewalk, IT IS HIS FAULT. You should not need night vision goggles to se a pedestrian.

Speeding
 

We live in Spartina Villas just a few houses down from the entrance. Cars go by here 30-40 miles per hr. No regard for life! SLOW DOWN YOU ARE RETIRED!!’ What is so important that you have to drive like this????? Just asking!

I haven't seen anything "official" that shows the driver was speeding, so why all the focus on speeding? From what has been posted the pedestrian walked in front of the vehicle, the pedestrian's fault. I see so many people walking with the traffic when it has been taught since most of us were grade school students that we should walk facing the traffic. That way you can see the driver's face which helps the pedestrian to determine if the driver sees them. Walking facing the traffic gives you time to get out of the way if the driver doesn't see you. Walking with traffic you have your back to the vehicles and you have no warning. In most of the pedestrian accidents I heard about over the years the pedestrian was at fault for not paying attention. It's just like with golf carts vs cars, a cart will come out on the short end of a collision and a pedestrian will fare even worse. You are an idiot if you think that everyone else should be responsible for your safety. Get your head out of that dark, smelly place and pay attention to your surroundings.

My neighbors complain about this issue too as they drive their golf carts with speed governor altered

ROAD RAGE IN THE MAKING...
:ohdear::ohdear::ohdear:

Not sure where you live, but I've seen speed limits of 15, 20, 35, and 45 throughout TV.
:ho::popcorn:

The OP is correct
 

OP, there is never a shortage of ignorance here. Many people drive too fast. That’s a fact.
It’s foolhardy for people to try speculate about the pedestrian’s medical history, etc.
The issue here is not just this poor person, and his family. (It could be a factor.)
The issue is also not the weight of the car versus the weight of the person (clearly a factor).
The issue is that speedy motorists have less reaction time.
As a young person, I drove too fast. But over the years, I’ve seen too many unnecessary fatalities. And as we age, our reaction times are longer.
Please, everyone, just slow down.
Leave earlier.
Save yourself a costly lawsuit.
Most importantly, save a life.

Please explain how you came to the conclusion that speed was "the issue" in this unfortunate accident, since there was absolutely no report that the pick up truck was "speeding".