CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A deadly pedestrian crash on Weber Road between Caravelle Parkway and Holly Road has raised safety concerns in the area. According to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) records, eight pedestrian accidents have occurred in the area since 2020, including the fatal incident on Saturday night.
Corpus Christi police say the pedestrian, identified as 73-year-old Gilberto Villarreal, did not use a crosswalk. Lieutenant Michael Pena with CCPD’s Traffic Section emphasized the risk of crossing outside designated areas.
“As pedestrians, they have to cross at a crosswalk. That’s the inherent danger, crossing not at an intersection, not at a crosswalk,” Pena said.
Some pedestrians in the area, like Mike Garza, say drivers often don’t yield to people crossing the road on a crosswalk.
“The drivers don’t care. I’ve almost been hit three times here on this one,” Garza said.
A review of the scene by KRIS6 News shows that the nearest crosswalk at Caravelle Parkway is approximately 450 feet from where Villarreal was struck.
The Texas Department of Transportation's Public Information Offiicer Rickey Dailey said pedestrian behavior is one of the biggest challenges in preventing accidents.
“The hardest to mitigate is personal behavior. We cannot mitigate that,” Dailey said.
However, Dailey added that TxDOT meets monthly to examine fatal crashes and consider safety improvements.
“So it may be a short-term solution, or it may be a longer-term solution that is necessary. But we examine all of the fatal crashes to see what can be done to improve safety,” Dailey said.
One potential change could involve adding mid-block crosswalks, which would provide pedestrians with a closer option for crossing the road. TxDOT can partner with the city through the federally funded Highway Safety Improvement Project to implement changes where needed.
“If there are driveways along that route, it’s not feasible to put a crosswalk where you’re going to have pedestrians walking close to a driveway,” he said.
In the meantime, TxDOT will assess the area to determine whether improvements are necessary.
Dailey says pedestrians should wear bright clothing, use flashlights, and always use crosswalks.
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