Shillong, November 20: Piyush Patel, a 52-year-old man of Indian descent, met a tragic end after being hit by a 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI while walking along Substation Road near Autumnwood Lane in Brunswick Hills, Ohio.
As per IANS, the incident occurred on the evening of November 18, resulting in Patel’s immediate death, as confirmed by Ohio Highway Patrol officers at the scene.
The driver of the Volkswagen, 25-year-old Cameron Luiza from Brunswick, remained unharmed and was wearing safety restraints during the collision. The crash is currently under investigation, with no arrests made by the police as of now.
This unfortunate event follows a recent Ohio interstate crash on November 14, where six individuals lost their lives and 18 others sustained injuries, including students on a charter bus. Tragically, this is not the first incident involving the Indian-origin community in Ohio, as Milan Hiteshbhai Patel, aged 30, also lost his life in a car crash earlier this year in June.
The broader context reveals alarming statistics, with an estimated 19,515 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes reported for the first half of 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2022, Montgomery and its adjacent counties experienced 32,752 traffic crashes, leading to 172 deaths. Distracted driving was implicated in 1,541 incidents, contributing to eight fatalities, as highlighted by Ohio Department of Public Safety statistics.
Addressing the concerning rise in traffic-related deaths, Acting Administrator Ann Carlson of NHTSA emphasized ongoing efforts, including new rule-makings for advanced vehicle technologies and increased funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.