LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In 2023 Zero Fatalities Nevada recorded 257 deaths on Clark County roads. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police want to bring that number down starting with the Valley’s most dangerous intersections.
One of those is Russell Road and Eastern Avenue, where Dion Yagoobi runs Sofia’s Pizza.
“It blocks off all the intersections,” Yagoobi says of what he calls frequent crashes at the intersection. “By the time two ambulances pull out and a tow truck comes, it affects everybody.”
Yagoobi says this has a cumulative negative affect on his business.
“It stops people from coming into my shop,” he lamented. “And, I have to pay rent.”
Ace Harris, who drives by the area often to drop his sister off at work, agrees that the intersection is often dangerous.
“When I usually drop her off, I’ll be seeing a car crash over here,” Harris told FOX5. “I don’t ever really see what causes the accident, but I always see there’s an accident right here.”
Both Harris and Yagoobi have similar ideas about what would make this area safer.
“The lighting,” Yagoobi opined. “There’s barely any lights.”
“It’s too dark,” Harris added. “I feel like that could play a part in the reason why there are crashes.”
We have lost a dozen lives on our roads since the beginning of the new year.
We need everyone to do their part, both drivers and pedestrians, to help prevent more tragedy and death on the roads. pic.twitter.com/7PJ35ufkLg
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) January 26, 2024
LVMPD will have more patrols in the area, along with the other intersections it named as the most dangerous, looking to do more than just discipline people.
“We need to change our mentality about fatalities in general. We historically have more people killed on the roadways than we have homicides,” Lieutenant Bret Ficklin told FOX5 on our Behind the Badge segment Thursday morning. “It’s almost like it’s become acceptable. And we cannot allow fatals to become acceptable. We need to change that mindset.”
That mindset, Yagoobi says, is a distracted one.
“Most accidents are at night. There’s Uber drivers checking their phones, people are doing a million things,” he said. “They just don’t pay attention.”
So far in 2024, Metro Police report 12 deadly crashes in its jurisdiction, or one every other day.
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