Drivers have struck and killed 13 people in Anchorage so far this year, prompting calls from local leaders and community members to make the city safer for pedestrians.
A state traffic engineer has said there is no one factor driving the increase in pedestrian deaths. She said aggressive driving has played a role in some. Nearly all of the crashes also happened at night, on a major roadway and outside of a marked crosswalk.
The people who were killed ranged in age from 24 to 79.
Here’s what we know so far about each of their deaths:
Sept. 21: Crystal Anvil, 38, was struck and killed by a car around 7:30 p.m. while crossing West Northern Lights Boulevard, near the Minnesota Drive intersection. She was crossing the westbound lanes, about 500 feet from a crosswalk, police said. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, according to police.
Sept. 20: Ambrose Aguchak, 79, was struck by two different vehicles while crossing the Seward Highway, near East 36th Avenue, around 9 p.m. He was crossing the northbound lanes, about 500 feet from a crosswalk, police said. He was transported to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Sept. 13: Kaycie Martin, 24, was struck and killed by an SUV around 3:45 a.m. while crossing Minnesota Drive near 34th Avenue. Police say Martin was crossing outside of a crosswalk. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
Sept. 9: Lola Giles, 29, was struck and killed by a minivan along the Seward Highway just after 6 a.m., police said. The crash happened close to mile 108.5, near the Rainbow Trailhead. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
Sept. 8: Danielle Washington, 45, was struck and killed by an SUV around 6:35 a.m. while crossing Debarr Road, near Bragaw Street. Police say Washington was crossing outside of a crosswalk. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
Sept. 8: Shannon Wallner, 42, was struck and killed by a pickup truck around 12:30 a.m. Police say Wallner was in the roadway on Muldoon Road, near the East 6th Avenue intersection. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
May 20: Annie Berntsen, 33, was struck and killed by a car driving northbound at 6:15 p.m. while she was crossing A Street between Fireweed Lane and East 16th Avenue. She was not in a crosswalk, police said. The driver, 40-year-old Larry Anderson Jr., left the scene without notifying police. He was later charged with driving with a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to render aid.
April 20: Terry Alexie, 36, was standing in the roadway on Tudor Road, near the Seward Highway, when he was struck by an SUV at 12:15 a.m. He died at a hospital a week later. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
April 7: Phillip Lupie, 32, was struck by a car going westbound on East 11th Avenue around 11 p.m. The driver, 19-year-old Josiah Martinez, did not stop and was later arrested when his vehicle was found at a nearby residence. Martinez was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to render aid. He was also cited for driving without a valid license.
March 7: Anthony Johnson, 56, died when he was struck by an SUV while crossing the northbound lanes of the Seward Highway, near Dowling Road, around 8:20 p.m. Johnson died at the scene. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
March 6: Mary Rickteroff-Andrew, 52, was lying on the ground in the east end of the South Anchorage Wal-Mart parking lot when the driver of a minivan drove over her. Rickteroff-Andrew was declared dead at the scene. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
March 3: Brian Pederson, 30, was the victim of a hit-and-run, police say. His body was found around 3:40 a.m., lying in the southbound lanes of the Old Seward Highway, near Industry Way. Officers later arrested Marsean Hadley, 29, and charged him with manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence and failure to render aid.
Jan. 30: A man, who has not identified by police, was struck and killed by an SUV going southbound on C Street between West Fireweed Lane and West Northern Lights Boulevard around 9 a.m. The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
