Pedestrian Injured at Madison & Florida Intersection Raises Safety Concerns
On the morning of Saturday February 8, a University Heights resident was walking her dog at the intersection of Madison and Florida where she was struck by a car. The pedestrian, who was identified as Deepika, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation and treatment (and will take some time to recover). Her dog Rumi was unharmed.
Over a dozen neighbors around the area heard the noise and screams and rushed to Deepika’s and Rumi’s aid. Sarah Yates, who lives nearby on Madison, ran out to help while her husband called 911, said “We’ve seen too many cars speed down that hill and throughout our neighborhood. There’s a stop sign, but clearly that didn’t help avoid this accident.” Yates added, “This time, it was a serious injury, but next time, I worry it could be worse. And there will be a next time.”
Sandeep Kamath, Deepika’s fiancé, updated neighbors about Deepika’s status on the UH Facebook Group, “She is in the hospital, and they are still assessing her, though she is conscious but in a lot of pain. Fortunately we were told that there was no neck or back fracture, though she did break her ankle and has other injuries to her body that are unknown and are still being assessed. Her body is still in shock from the accident. She is very grateful to everyone who stayed and helped her and called 911, and thankfully Rumi, our dog, seemed to go unscathed from this.”
Nearby resident Laura (Lola) Handzel said, “I live near Florida and Madison, which means I’ve nearly gotten hit at that intersection countless times. On one occasion, instead of keeping eyes on the road, the driver was holding their cell phone in front of their passenger’s face to show them something. They happened to notice me and my dog just in time to slam on the brakes and avoid hitting us.”
Another neighbor, Alex McGrath, commented, “One of the things that drew my husband and I to this neighborhood was its walkability, but lately walking in our neighborhood
has started to feel less safe. Almost every time I walk, I notice drivers who are speeding, using their cell phones, choosing not to stop at stop signs, or stopping past the line and into the crosswalk -if there even is a crosswalk painted.”
McGrath asks drivers, “Please drive like it’s your friends or loved ones in the other cars and walking down the sidewalk.”
Julie Bell, another neighbor, commented on the UH Facebook group, “That intersection is very problematic. Monroe and Florida plus Mission and Florida are scary too. Too many drivers and bicyclers either barely stop or completely blow off the stop signs. There has been a real uptick in this since the pandemic.” UHCA has been advocating for increased traffic safety for many years and as recently as June 2024 shared the results from a pedestrian safety workshop held during the April
UHCA meeting that was attended by San Diego Mobility Department staff (www.uhsd.org/s/UH-News-Web-June-2024-wr3k.pdf). Madison Avenue was identified as a problematic street with requests made to evaluate several intersections for lighted crosswalks and adding other traffic calming measures.
Councilmember Whitburn’s office was contacted and provided this statement: “I’m deeply sorry to hear about this pedestrian injury, and I hope for her full recovery. Keeping our streets safe is a top priority, and I will continue working with the Transportation Department to implement traffic-calming measures that help prevent accidents like this in the future.”
UHCA has filed a Traffic Service Request with the Traffic Engineering department regarding this intersection and will continue to follow-up with Councilmember Whitburn’s office and report on the City’s progress in making the streets in our neighborhood safer.
