Brooksiders Encourage Drivers To Slow Following Fatal Crash

A suspected drunk driver hit and killed a man walking along Peoria in Brookside Sunday night.

The street is pretty heavily traveled, especially ever since Riverside Drive shut down for construction, and people who live and work in the area said it can be dangerous for pedestrians.

Sunday night, yellow tape and flashing lights flooded the Brookside area. A man was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver, Lindsey Smith, that evening.

9/25/2016 Related Story: Police Arrest Tulsa Woman After Pedestrian Killed On Brookside

It's a scene that has many in Brookside upset, but not surprised.

Paige Turlington said, "I've almost seen it happen multiple times - people go really fast and the crosswalks that don't have the lights, they don't really do much, people don't really pay attention to them."

According to the police report, the man was trying to cross Peoria at 33rd when an SUV hit him. He flew up onto the curb and then a few yards down the street.

Warehouse regular Elise Hensley was heading to the bar to meet up with friends Sunday night when she saw what happened.

"It was just horrifying. I'd never seen anything like that before," Hensley said.

Tulsa police research analysts say, since July of last year, the one-mile stretch between 31st and 41st has seen nearly 90 traffic incidents - from fender benders to crashes or incidents involving pedestrians and cars. Police said that's a pretty fair amount in just a year and three months.

Hensley said, "I've seen people almost get hit all the time."

Even with flashing lights and reflective signs to indicate the crossing zones, we witnessed drivers not paying attention, getting impatient and driving recklessly.

"Cars kind of disregard the pedestrians a lot of times, so it gets kind of crazy down here," Turlington said.

In the wake of the tragedy, Brooksiders said they hope this is a wake-up call and encourage drivers to slow down and pay attention.

We reached out to Brookside councilman and mayor-elect, GT Bynum, to talk about some of the traffic issues on Brookside but have not heard back.