A recent incident on A1A in South Palm Beach has cast a spotlight on a grave issue that demands our immediate attention. An elderly citizen was struck and killed by a vehicle, a tragedy compounded by the driver’s decision to flee the scene. The subsequent comments from local law enforcement suggest that had the driver remained, they might have faced no penalty, as the victim was not in a crosswalk at the time of the accident.
This rationale is deeply troubling. It implies that pedestrians are at fault for their own injuries or death if they are not within the confines of a crosswalk. Yet, in South Palm Beach, where the median age is 67.6 years and many residents face mobility challenges, the lack of crosswalks is not just an inconvenience — it’s a life-threatening oversight.
Consider the message this sends: Without crosswalks, our community’s most vulnerable members are left unprotected, their safety seemingly less important than traffic flow.
The comparison to a squashed iguana, unable to use a crosswalk, is a stark and unsettling metaphor for the disregard shown to human life in these circumstances.
We must confront the reality that our current infrastructure and legal framework do not adequately protect our citizens. The absence of crosswalks not only endangers lives, but also strips away legal protections from victims and their families.
It’s a situation that cannot be allowed to persist.
The question of why we need crosswalks is not one of logistics but of moral imperative. We need them to safeguard our residents, to preserve the dignity and rights of pedestrians, and to ensure that no one else suffers a similar fate. The implementation details — how many crosswalks we need, where they should be placed — are secondary to the fundamental need for their existence.
Until we address this issue, every pedestrian in South Palm Beach is at risk, their legal standing no better than that of an iguana. It’s a harsh reality that we must change.
Let’s come together as a community to demand the safety measures we desperately need. Let’s ensure that the tragic loss of life on A1A is not in vain but serves as a catalyst for positive change.
In closing, remember this: The next time you cross the street in South Palm Beach, the law views you as little more than a jaywalker, regardless of where you cross.
It’s a sobering thought, one that should spur us to action. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to create a safer, more just community for all.
— Rafael Piñeiro
South Palm Beach
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