A man died while crossing John Young Parkway at Oak Ridge Road in Orange County Friday morning, an intersection safety advocates say is part of a dangerous corridor.

  • Safety groups like Bike/Walk Central Florida struggling with dangerous roads
  • Numerous pedestrian enhancements made on the roads
  • Man struck by a car on John Young Parkway Friday died

Advocates have worked over the last few years to make Orange County more pedestrian friendly, but there is still more work to be done. 

“Every day, it's daunting," said Amanda Day, who works with Bike/Walk Central Florida. "And every day, when you look at the news and you see someone else lost their life for just walking across the street. Whether if you’re driving or crossing the street, you must look out for each other.”

Five years ago, Day joined the non-profit advocacy group after seeing a report ranking Central Florida number one in the United States for pedestrian danger.

“Seeing these unnecessary, tragic accidents occur and knowing that I could possibly help," she said.

In the last few years, Day said Bike/Walk Central Florida has made strides in enhancing safety of pedestrians, with cross-walk crackdowns helping to catch drivers zipping through crosswalks. That's even as Central Florida again topped the danger list in 2014.

On Friday morning around 5 a.m., two men crossed John Young Parkway at Oak Ridge Road into the path of an oncoming car.

One man, Yamil Rivera Cruz, suffered serious injuries. The other man, who troopers have yet to name, died at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

That very intersection, according to Orange County, is part of an initiative called Walk-Ride-Thrive! The initiative has $15 million earmarked for pedestrian safety, with $2 million of that along Oak Ridge Road. 

About $150,000 is allocated for the section of roadway where Friday's accident took place.

“They’re putting real effort and money behind it. Infrastructure takes a long time," said Day. “The plans are in place to make the city of Orlando and this whole region one of the best. I am so hopeful, I am very hopeful.”

Florida Highway Patrol's Sgt. Kim Montes said that the driver in the fatal crash stopped, did not appear to be speeding or under the influence, and likely won’t be charged. Montes said her troopers share the same frustration of safety experts like Day.

“Pedestrians and drivers have to work together," she said. “I think if more people paid attention to detail, we could reduce some of these crashes.”

The newest national report on pedestrian safety, Dangerous By Design, comes out next Tuesday.