A grieving Irving man is pushing for change after his wife was hit and killed walking in a crosswalk.
There is a Hindu shrine in the Nararyan Mahajan's apartment. The face smiling back in the photo is draped with flowers.
It's for 34-year old Anupama Mahajan. The wife and mother of two was hit and killed while crossing the street near her home.
"No one should lose their loved one," Nararyan Mahajan said, as he looks at his late wife's picture.
Mahajan left her home just before 6 p.m. on June 28 to make the short walk to the place where she tutored math. A Jeep turning left hit a car going straight at the intersection of Meadow Creek and North MacArthur Boulevard, which hit Mahajan as she tried to cross in the crosswalk.
"She fell approximately 70 to 100 feet and she was in the air," explained Mahajan, who said his wife landed under a tree. "And she died on the spot."
Statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation show pedestrians in Dallas County are less safe today than a decade ago.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
In 2010, there were 37 pedestrians killed. That number doubled to 72 in 2018. Since the end of July, there have been 53 pedestrian deaths in Dallas County. That's on pace to end the year at 91 deaths.
Mahajan said his 8-year-old daughter, Impana, wonders who she will call mother. He hasn't told his 3-year-old son, Namish, she's not coming home.
"She's not there for his third birthday. So heartbreaking," Mahajan said through tears. "They won't get to experience their mom's love for their entire life."
Irving police said charges won't likely be filed in the case because while the driver not yielding to the right-of-way led to a tragic and deadly crash, it doesn't meet the level of 'criminal negligence'.
Mahajan said he has asked the city about painting the crosswalks near his home to be more noticeable.
"This happened to me," Mahajan said. "This shouldn't happen anymore."
