Vigil remembers people killed on Indianapolis roads, calls for traffic safety improvements

Candle lanterns were lit one by one as a bike bell chimed to remember those lost to traffic incidents in Indianapolis.

Bike Indianapolis held a vigil Sunday evening to remember 81 people killed in traffic incidents in Indianapolis — some whose names are known and some whose are not.

The second annual gathering was a part of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Speakers and attendees at the vigil emphasized the need for safety improvements on roads and trails in the city.

“I’m always hyper vigilant,” said Jakob Morales. Morales is a part of the Bike Indianapolis advocacy committee and uses his electric bike as his main form of transportation. “There’s a lot of stress involved. In fact, I ride by the motto, ‘Every car is trying to kill you.’”

That motto echoed in Morales' head when he was struck by a car in a hit-and-run in October. The crash was captured on the camera on his bike.

“It was only a few seconds, but that was the most frightening moment of my life,” Morales said. “I mean, absolute horror.”

Morales said he was grateful that no one had to mourn him that day.

Cassandra Crutchfield lost her seven-year-old daughter Hannah when they were both hit by a car on East Washington Street in 2021.

“It has been three years since Hannah’s death, but losing her still affects my family and I,” she said.

Crutchfield said the city needs major changes to the roadways.

“There are so many people that are killed and seriously injured in Indianapolis, and it’s preventable, but it takes work to get there,” Crutchfield said.

The Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis has been tracking incidents in the city involving pedestrians and cyclists since 2022. Using 911 call reports, the number of incidents has been rising each year with August this year having 103 incidents — the highest number recorded.

Katie Swanson has lived in Indianapolis her whole life and frequently rides her bike.

“It’s a joy to ride a bike, but it’s also, at times, it’s stressful, because you do know how many people are on the road that are just not having their whole focus on getting where they’re going safely, and that’s all that we’re doing on bikes, is just trying to get to wherever we’re going safely,” Swanson said.

This past August, the Indianapolis City County Council passed the Vision Zero initiative that aims to eliminate traffic fatalities in the city by 2035. The Vision Zero Task Force met for its first public meeting in October.

Crutchfield said the initiative is a good first step, but systemic changes and dedicated funding are needed at the local and state levels to make the needed improvements.

“We need the community to accept and advocate for these changes and be patient during the construction necessary to implement them,” Crutchfield said. “We need to prioritize the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, those who use public transportation, and car riders.”

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.