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Former first round draft pick Dwayne Haskins was trying to cross an interstate by foot in Broward County, Florida, on Saturday morning when he was struck by a dump truck and killed.
Tributes to the 24-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback have poured in from former and current teammates and coaches, but his death highlights an alarming surge in pedestrian deaths in recent years.
The first six months of 2021 saw a 17% increase in pedestrians killed in collisions with vehicles nationwide over the same time period in 2020, according to a Governors Highway Safety Association report released this week.
The surge was even more pronounced in Florida, which saw a 31% increase with 444 pedestrians killed by vehicles in the first half of last year.
Dwayne Haskins #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason game at Bank of America Stadium on August 27, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Keane/Getty Images)
It's a trend that has been getting worse for years, as pedestrian deaths jumped 46% from 4,457 in 2011 to 6,516 deaths in 2020 nationwide.
DWAYNE HASKINS' INSTAGRAM FLOODED WITH SYMPATHIES FROM NFL STARS
Pedestrian deaths account for about 17% of all traffic fatalities, which have been on the rise as a whole.
Overall, 31,720 people died in car crashes in the first nine months of 2021, a 12% increase over 2020 and the most in the first nine months of any year since 2006, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The NHTSA's Office of Behavioral Safety Research wrote in a report last year that driving patterns have "changed significantly" since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic about two years ago.
"Of the drivers who remained on the roads, some engaged in riskier behavior, including speeding, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs," the report said.
The Department of Transportation released the National Roadway Safety Strategy plan earlier this year to try to cut down on traffic deaths through greater use of speed cameras, the inclusion of automatic emergency braking in all new vehicles, and the implementation of other crash avoidance features.
"We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths in America. These deaths are preventable," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in January as he rolled out the plan. "We will work with every level of government and industry to deliver results, because every driver, passenger, and pedestrian should be certain that they're going to arrive at their destination safely, every time."
STEELERS QUARTERBACK DWAYNE HASKINS DEAD AFTER BEING STRUCK BY DUMP TRUCK ON FLORIDA INTERSTATE
The exact details of the crash that killed Haskins are unclear. The Florida Highway Patrol said he was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 in Broward County for "unknown reasons" when he was struck by a dump truck at 6:37 a.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Haskins last year after he spent his first two years in the NFL with the Washington Football Team, since renamed the Commanders. The 24-year-old was expected to compete with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph to be the team's starting quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement at the end of last season.
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Haskins had been training with Trubisky, running back Najee Harris, tight end Pat Freiermuth, and other teammates in south Florida in the days before his death, according to news reports and pictures posted on social media.
"I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins," Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. "He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community."