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83 injured, 16 killed in hit-and-runs in Indianapolis this year

Police are investigating a Lynhurst Drive hit-and-run crash that killed a woman Wednesday night.

INDIANAPOLIS — On video from a home security camera on Lynhurst Drive, you can see Alexandra Leal and another person pull over on the side of the road after something apparently fell out of their truck.

Then the two start walking toward Kelly Street before they walk in front of a home. Moments later is when Leal was hit and killed by a car. Seconds later, you see the driver speed off.

"These incidents are bad enough as they are, but when you add in the fact that so many are hit-and-runs, that makes them all that much worse," said Eric Holt, founder of Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis. 

So far this year, the group has counted 99 hit-and-runs, 16 of which have been deadly.

"So, so far in September we've tracked 15 hit-and-runs, but just last month we tracked 20 in August alone," Holt said. 

A little over a month ago, the Indianapolis City-County Council voted to approve a plan known as "Vision Zero," with a goal to eliminate pedestrian or cyclist deaths from occurring in the city by 2035

Councilor John Barth (D-District 7) says right now, they're selecting the members for its task force. After that, plans will start being heard on how to make their goal happen.

"The next step will be to do all that work and to put this plan out by May or June and then, as we go through the 2026 budget process, to allocate resources to ensure we're doing the things we need to do to protect citizens," said Barth. 

In the meantime, people on the road need to look out for one another.

"Driving is a privilege, and there are a lot of responsibilities that come with it and one of those is if you get into a crash, you need to stop and do what's right. Those first few minutes could be between life and death for someone that is hit," said Holt. 

While home security cameras may have caught the moment Leal was hit, IMPD says the city's license plate readers may lead them to the person responsible for leaving her dead in the street.

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