Pedestrian Killed on Pinar del Río-Havana Highway

In the early hours of Monday morning, a tragic accident claimed the life of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle on the Pinar del Río-Havana highway, near the CUJAE technological university. Reports circulating on social media indicate that the incident occurred around 4 a.m. between the Bello 26 neighborhood bridge and the avenue 114 overpass, where witnesses stated that a taxi collided with the victim.

Yannier Moreno, a user in the Facebook group "Gasoline in Havana, where is there??", reported the deceased as a man by stating, "A man was hit and killed on the highway before the CUJAE bridge." However, other posts suggested that the victim was an elderly woman.

A video shared on the "Accidentes Buses & Camiones por más experiencia y menos víctimas!" profile shows the body covered by the roadside, with a state taxi nearby and police officers at the scene. According to a man who claimed to have passed by the area shortly after the accident, it was a "classic black car" that struck the pedestrian, who died at the location.

Details about the accident remain scarce as of this report, but potential causes could include the lack of lighting on the road or reckless behavior by the pedestrian or the driver. A driver lamented, "There's no road lighting; you need to be a magician to drive at night." Another added, "That area is extremely dark, and often you don't see people crossing until they're just meters away. Plus, many vehicles have high beams on, blinding oncoming traffic. Caution is essential at night."

One forum participant expressed frustration, "Another victim of the chaos that's taken over our roads! We lack everything—courtesy, prudence, responsibility, and even humanity! We forget that today it happened to this person, but tomorrow it could be our own loved ones or any driver!"

Sadly, Cuban roads continue to pose a significant danger to both pedestrians and drivers. The poor condition of most roads, coupled with driver infractions such as speeding and a lack of attention, as well as the absence of proper signage, contribute to frequent accidents.

Last week saw a series of fatal accidents in various provinces. The start of the second week of December was particularly tragic: on the Carretera Central in Bejuco, Las Tunas, a taxi and a rental car collided head-on, igniting a fire in the latter. The crash and subsequent fire resulted in the deaths of the two rental car occupants and the taxi driver.

The following day, a 14-year-old boy lost his life riding his bicycle when hit by a speeding car in a Songo-La Maya neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba. The driver fled the scene without aiding the child.

Meanwhile, in Camagüey, another person died, and two others were injured when two speeding motorcycles crashed into a car.