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'Unlike anything we have seen' | 7 people hit and killed by drivers in 10 days in Indianapolis

In the last 10 days, seven people have been hit and killed by drivers across Marion County. In three of the cases, the driver sped away.

INDIANAPOLIS — Alarming new numbers show the growing pedestrian problem in Indianapolis.

In the last 10 days, seven people have been hit and killed by drivers across Marion County. In three of the cases, the driver sped away.

The most recent death happened Monday night near 56th Street and Georgetown Road. Police say that's where a car heading south hit a man. The driver then stayed at the scene.  

According to Indianapolis Pedestrian Safety Crisis, it’s the single-worst week the city has seen in years.

"Almost a person a day, that's insane," Jason Galdish said.

"It's shocking. It makes you wonder if something additional needs to be done," Keith Lauter said.

Incidents:

The numbers also don't include the close calls, like the one Mike Kane witnessed on 16th Street last week.

RELATED: Pedestrian killed in northwest Indy crash

"She came across, and this guy stopped right there. I thought he had her," Kane said.

Others are not as lucky.

On Sunday, Dominique Berryhill, a 32-year-old mother, was standing next to a car near Riverside Park when a reckless driver lost control and killed her

Credit: Dashanna Berryhill
Dominique Berryhill

It's one of several deaths the Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis is tracking this year.

"These last 10 days have been unlike anything we have seen," said Eric Holt, the founder of the group.

So far, Holt has tracked 70 incidents of someone being hit by a car since the beginning of August — seven of them turning deadly.

"It's devastating because these aren't just numbers. There is a person behind each and every one of these incidents and families that are affected," Holt said.

RELATED: Vision Zero passed the City-County Council. What now?

As for what's causing the spike, even the man behind the numbers isn't sure.

"I really don't know. It's hard to really pinpoint and exactly say why," Holt said.

Others question if speeding, distraction or the warm weather is at play.

In the meantime, many hope these numbers are a wake up call not just for the community, but also for city leaders.

“This is crisis level," Holt said. "It just seems crazy to me that we are not talking about this more."

Just last week, the City-County Council approved a task force to come up with a Vision Zero Plan to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2035.

Holt supports the idea but would also like to see more short-term solutions, too.

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