The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating an accident
that happened early Sunday morning around 3:30 a.m. Two men died in the
IndyGo bus stop crash, and another was left critically wounded.

Marvin Kinchlow, 61, Eugene Guzman, 59, and an unnamed third man were standing
at an IndyGo bus stop at the corner of West 29th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when a vehicle heading south on MLK crashed into theIndyGo bus stop, striking all three. The driver of the vehicle says an eastbound
vehicle ran a red light and forced him off the road.

Marvin Kinchlow died at Eskenazi Hospital. The other two men were taken
to IU Health Methodist Hospital where Guzman later died. The third man
remains in critical condition. The IMPD does not believe alcohol played
a role in the accident. The driver of the implicated second vehicle did
not stop, and police have not arrested the driver who remained on the scene.

Pedestrian Deaths Spiked in 2015

Pedestrian deaths increased 10% in 2015, and though much of the increase
occurred in larger states like California and Florida, Indiana was not
immune from a significant number of pedestrian deaths. This year, we’ve
already written about the number of pedestrians dying on poorly lit, busy
roadways in Indianapolis. Pedestrian accidents can happen in different
ways, with some occurring at intersections where pedestrians and cars
intersect and others taking place when unsuspecting individuals on a sidewalk
or roadside are impacted by a car leaving the roadway. Either way, vulnerable
pedestrians usually end up paying the price.

Federal Lawsuit Claims Bus Stops in Vegas Are Too Close to Roads

Municipalities across the United States are looking closely at the distance
between busy roadways and public bus stops. Incidents like the IndyGo
bus stop crash are tragic and raise many questions for cities with public
transportation systems.

A Nevada man who lost his leg at age 15 after being struck by a car at
a public bus stop bench filed a federal lawsuit this past July. Though
the driver of the vehicle pleaded guilty to drunk driving, the lawsuit
focuses on the distance of public bus shelters from roadways, alleging
that placing bus shelters 3 feet from the curb creates a foreseeable danger
to the public. In the Nevada case, the Regional Transportation Commission
of Southern Nevada has publicly acknowledged bus stop benches and shelters
are close to the road. As in many other places across the country, they
have spent millions of dollars completing upgrades to facilities and moving
bus shelters further from the road whenever possible.

Pedestrians have little to no way of protecting themselves against the
impact of a vehicle. As in the case of the IndyGo bus stop crash victims,
pedestrians may be sitting in a place they feel safe. If you are injured
or lose a loved one in a
pedestrian accident, the Indianapolis-based attorneys at Wagner Reese are ready to correct
the wrongs done to you by a negligent or reckless driver. We never accept
payment unless your claim is settled or won, and we offer a risk-free,
no-cost consultation. Call us today at (888) 204-8440 to see how we
can help you.