The death of a Benton man in the crosswalk at the 2700 block of Central Avenue in December led to new calls for more pedestrian safety measures in front of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
According to Arkansas State Police and Hot Springs Police Department reports, Jason Reece Givens, 48, was the second pedestrian since 2015 to die after being hit by a vehicle while using the crosswalk. The Arkansas Department of Transportation said 19 collisions involving pedestrians occurred between Crestwood and Vineyard streets on Central and Higdon Ferry Road from January 2014 through January of this year.
While the incidents have sparked civic debate, materials ArDOT provided in response to a records request showed pedestrian safety in front of Oaklawn hasn't been top of mind for state and local officials in close to a decade.
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The city and state partnering to add a second northbound turn lane from Higdon Ferry onto Central accounted for most of the materials ArDOT said was responsive to a request for internal and external communications regarding pedestrian safety in the 2400 to 3000 block of Central since 2014.
A letter ArDOT's District 6 engineer sent the Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization in February 2014 was the most recent communication on the matter, informing the board of local officials that proposes area transportation projects to ArDOT that no additional pedestrian safety measures were needed in front of Oaklawn.
"Please note that federal guidelines have stated that adding crosswalks alone does not make pedestrian crossings safer," the letter said. "For this reason, we also evaluated the existing crosswalk markings and signage during the site review. It was determined that the existing markings and signage are adequate and no additional measures are recommended at this time."
The letter was in response to the local MPO's request for a review of existing safety measures in December 2013. Tri-Lakes said its technical committee hasn't discussed the matter since then.
Oaklawn commissioned a report from a local engineering firm that recommended wider crosswalks, according to a letter ArDOT sent former City Manager Lance Hudnell in May 2012.
"It has been determined that the existing crosswalks are of sufficient width except during various times of the live racing season," the letter said. "However, during these times, law enforcement is used to control pedestrian traffic crossing the highway.
"Based on these findings, the existing crosswalk width and signage are appropriate for the pedestrian activity in the area and no modifications appear warranted at this time."
The state approved the city's request for pedestrian-activated warning beacons at the crosswalk in 2012, according to a letter ArDOT sent the city in June of that year.
According to police reports, the December and 2015 fatalities in the crosswalk happened at night. Both victims were walking westbound, or away from Oaklawn, when they were hit. A 2004 Nissan Xterra driven by Jefferson Moore, 52, of Hot Springs was traveling southbound when it hit Givens shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 18.
"Mr. Moore failed to see Mr. Givens in the crosswalk until it was too late and struck Mr. Givens with the front left tire," the report said. "Givens was slung southbound, forward, where he struck the ground and slid to a stop 43 feet south of area of impact. Driver came to rest south of crosswalk, about 15 feet from the south end of the crosswalk to the rear bumper."
Givens died the next day.
William Baker, 77, of Malvern, was also walking westbound when a 1996 Acura Integra driven by James Lee Goff of Hot Springs was traveling northbound and hit him in the crosswalk at about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2015. Baker died the next day.
According to the police report, Goff was driving at the posted speed limit of 35 mph but had a blood alcohol content of 0.31, almost four times the legal limit, when he provided a breath sample at the Garland County Detention Center.
The report said based on the vehicle's speed, length of skid and the average person's nighttime reaction time, it took Goff almost 7 seconds longer than it should have to begin braking. The report determined Goff was at fault, notwithstanding Baker's failure to activate the crosswalk beacon on the side of the road.
"From the evidence presented the accident was preventable," the report said. "It is my belief the accident wouldn't have happened if Goff was not intoxicated at the time of the incident."
He pleaded guilty to felony negligent homicide and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May 2016.
City Manager Bill Burrough told the Hot Springs Board of Directors at its April 4 business meeting that the city is ready to solicit bids for a pedestrian hybrid beacon at the crosswalk between the 400 and 500 blocks of Central. The High-intensity Activated crossWalK, or HAWK, beacon lets drivers know when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk.
Unlike beacons mounted on the shoulder of a road, the HAWK is attached to a mast arm over the roadway, making it more noticeable to drivers.
"That beacon will come out where you can see it in your lane of traffic and not on the side of the road," Burrough told the board.
Pedestrians push a button to activate the signal, starting a sequence that begins with a flashing yellow light followed by two flashing red lights. Burrough said it took three years for ArDOT to approve a downtown location for the overhead warning system.
"There's a lot of activity in downtown," he said. "You're trying to focus on the sign, look for the person in the crosswalk and then watch the cars in front of you. I can tell you from two blocks away you can see this letting you know there's a crosswalk or somebody in the crosswalk. We finally got that approved. I can't want to see that up."
Pedestrians use the crosswalk in the 2700 block of Central Avenue Friday to reach Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. - Photo by Donald Cross of The Sentinel-Record