The number of pedestrians injured and killed rose from 2016 to 2017, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
Wednesday night, 55-year-old David Grinbergs was not in a marked crosswalk when a vehicle hit and killed him as he tried to cross Maple Street.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation says 20 pedestrians died in traffic incidents in 2017. Eleven died in 2016. There were 406 who were injured in 2017, 26 more than 2016.
On a busy Thursday night in Benson, Tom Polinko and his friends are out and about. He's in this part of town often but avoids driving through Benson, especially at night.
"You just don't know if someone is going to walk out in front of you," Polinko said. "The cars are so tight together that you can't always see people walking out. It's packed here on weekends."
We saw one close call after one couple crossed Military Avenue.
Kara Kneifl lives near 49th Street and NW Radial Highway and hears about close calls in her neighborhood all the time. She and others say you need to keep your head on a swivel when you're walking in Benson.
"You just have to look both ways to make sure the car is going to yield to you," Kneifl said. "Look both ways, make sure you're looking, simple as that."
