Rigoberto Espinal Obituary, Death – The pedestrian who was killed in the recent collision that occurred between a car and a pedestrian on Ashley Phosphate Road was determined to be a 43-year-old Honduran man. According to information provided by Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal, Rigoberto Lorenzo Baca Espinal passed away on December 11 at approximately 10:45 p.m. as a result of injuries he sustained after being struck by a Ford pickup truck on Mazcyk Road. Officers with the North Charleston Police Department detained the adolescent who was driving the truck; but, according to spokesman Harve Jacobs, no charges will be brought in connection with the incident.
A traffic report states that Espinal committed an unlawful act by entering the roadway as the truck was traveling east on Ashley Phosphate Road. According to the report, the driver was not under the influence of any substances, thus they were able to maintain the appropriate speed.
A citizen of Galveston, Texas, named Espinal was cited as a witness in the incident report. A recent research conducted by the nonprofit organization Smart Growth American identified the metropolitan region that encompasses the three counties that make up Charleston as having the fifth worst rate of pedestrian deaths per capita in the United States from 2016 to 2020.
Officials from the government have stated that they are working on a solution to the issue and expanding sidewalk access, using at least some of the millions of funds that were allocated by the American Rescue and Reinvestment Act. However, the need is significantly greater than the money that are now available, and there has not been a full inventory of the region’s sidewalk needs conducted, as reported by The Post and Courier in July. Local drivers who are driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol are sometimes to blame for the deaths of pedestrians that occur on local roads. However, law enforcement officials say that pedestrians need to be mindful of traffic as well by using crosswalks and exercising patience near hazardous roadways.
