The crash occurred on the east side of Swan Road just south of Broadway Boulevard.
The crash occurred on the east side of Swan Road just south of Broadway Boulevard.

A pedestrian hit by a car on April 4 died on Saturday, nine days after he was struck.

Robert L. Ballard, 62, was hit while attempting to cross Swan Road when a woman in a Nissan Sentra made a right turn out of a driveway and struck Ballard.

According to a Tucson Police Department press release, Ballard was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash.

The driver was turning right to head north on Swan Road just south of Broadwar when police say Balard ran in front of the motorist.

The driver was not cited.

The death marks the 6th pedestrian fatality in the City of Tucson.

Two pedestrians were killed during the same time period last year.

7 thoughts on “Pedestrian dies 9 days after being hit by car; 6th fatality this year”
  1. Okay, so the guy wasn’t in a crosswalk. What a naughty pedestrian he was.
    People, crosswalks don’t have magical force fields that prevent people from being killed by cars. No place on the street does.
    And what will it take to stop these senseless deaths? Well, more respect for people who are walking or biking. And how do we get that respect? We DEMAND it!

  2. Isn’t there a sort of “golden rule” stating that pedestrians always have the right-a-way?  I seem to remember that being part of drivers ed. And how, exactly, did this driver miss seeing a whole human being?  Just how fast was this person making that turn? Was there a cell phone involved? So many unanswered questions…

  3. Well, no, they don’t always have the right=of-way. It’s jay-walking and a ticketable offense. You know, communication is paramount among road users and is just lacking these days. Yes drivers should be watchful and courteous, but peds need to remember and live by the immortal words of M.r Rogers and Capt. Kangaroo: Look Both Ways Before You Cross. Whether you have the right-of-way or not. Geez, we thought TV would be such an effective role-model.

  4. My understanding from that traffic class I took five years ago is that pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way at any and every INTERSECTION. This sounds like a vehicular accident…albeit sad and unfortunate.

  5. I think we have some carhead going on here.  Did the police actually say  “Balard ran in front of the motorist”?  And if so, is that what happened?  Isn’t what really happened that the driver was looking south and turning north, and she drove into a pedestrian because she wasn’t looking where she was going?  I really don’t like that phrasing, “Balard ran in front of the motorist” unless it is true, which I suspect it isn’t.  
    My guess is that Balard *did* look both ways, and headed across the street.  The motorist then sped out of a driveway and ran him down.  That’s different from him running in front of the motorist.

  6. @E It does actually say, ran in front of the driver, but I agree that’s probably what was said and may not be the actual case. 
    Often the interviews are very one sided. 
    Drivers tend to only one in one direction when turning, which is one of the major reasons riding the wrong way is so dangerous.

  7. @E Out of all of that, the only thing that can be proven is that the pedestrian was in the wrong crossing where he did. I think we’re all out on the road enough to know that that is not at all uncommon here and could be why pedestrian fatalities are as high as they are. As an occasional driver, that irks me to no end because I really don’t want to hit anybody and I view that act as a direct and flagrant challenge.

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