Man dies and woman receiving treatment after being hit by car in Darwin suburbs

A man has passed away after being hit by a car while crossing one of Darwin’s busiest roads, the second in the same area in six months. Read why police say ‘broader social issues’ are at play.

A man is dead and a woman is in hospital with non-life threatening injuries after the pair were hit by a car on Bagot Rd on Thursday evening. Picture: Bethany Griffiths.

A man has been killed while crossing the road, while a woman has been hospitalised after both were hit by a car crossing one of Darwin’s busiest roads.

NT Police Northern Watch Commander Greg Lamb said the pair were leaving a traffic island in the middle of a multi-lane road when they were hit by a Toyota Yaris at 6.57pm, Thursday.

Sergeant Lamb said the pair walked directly into the path of the vehicle near the intersection of Bagot Rd and Fitzner Dr, close to McDonald’s at Ludmilla.

Both the man and the 48-year-old woman were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital, but the man later succumbed to his injuries.

NT Health confirmed the woman was in a stable condition, with non-life threatening injuries.

Detectives were working to formally identify the man and notify his next of kin.

Sergeant Lamb said the driver stopped immediately, and also produced a negative alcohol test.

No charges were laid.

He said police continued to investigate the fatal crash, with Bagot Rd closed for more than five hours till midnight on Thursday.

Police have appealed for motorists who travelled on Bagot Rd, Ludmilla before 7pm and witnessed the two adults of Aboriginal appearance, or had dashcam footage, to contact police.

It comes five months after a 45-year-old woman was also fatally struck by a car while walking over the same stretch of Bagot Rd, with the two crashes just 1km apart.

Police have appealed for motorists who travelled on Bagot Rd, Ludmilla before 7pm and witnessed the two adults of Aboriginal appearance, or had dashcam footage, to contact police. Picture: Sierra Haigh

This is the eighth fatal crash on Territory roads so far this year, with half the fatalities pedestrians.

But Major Crash Investigation Unit officer in charge Brendan Lindner said the number of people being hit on the roads represented “broader social problems” afflicting the Territory — alcohol addiction and homelessness.

“The majority of pedestrians struck are Aboriginal people that are under the influence of alcohol, who are also often living rough near to roadways,” the detective Senior Sergeant said.

“These are problems that require societal shifts in understanding and resourcing.

“NT Police are supportive of any measure that increases public awareness around the simple fact that alcohol and roads don’t mix.”

Since 2000 there have been more than 210 pedestrian deaths in the Territory — 177 of those were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Major Crash Investigation Unit officer in charge Brendan Lindner said the number of people being hit on the roads represented “broader social problems”. Picture: Floss Adams.

The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics said pedestrians had been identified as a key priority in the second Road Safety Action Plan for 2023-2025.

A spokeswoman said DIPL had worked specifically with Larrakia Nation to address the high rates of Aboriginal pedestrian fatals.

She said this included campaigns to speak to pedestrians at high risk areas, information to assist people to return to community, in-language road safety messages and handing out reflective clothing.

She said moving into the next stage of the road safety strategy, DIPL would test a technology-driven pilot program to detect pedestrians on the road and adjacent areas along the Stuart Highway and issue warnings to motorists.

But the spokeswoman said the full action plan was still in development following round table sessions in May 2023 — despite the last strategy expiring in 2022.

A discussion paper for the 2023-25 Action Plan has also not been released, but is expected to align with the national strategy.

The DIPL spokeswoman said of the 49 priority actions in the 2018-2022 plan, 31 had been completed, seven were “ongoing” while eight would be completed later in 2023.

“The three remaining actions require further complex policy and technical development and will be carried over to the next Towards Zero Road Safety Action Plan,” she said.

NT PEDESTRIAN FATALS 2023

March 1: A 45-year-old woman passed away after being fatally struck by a vehicle in Ludmilla while was walking across Bagot Road.

June 9: a male pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle while on the inbound lane of Tiger Brennan Drive, Charles Darwin.

July 7: A male pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle on Stuart Highway, just before the turn-off to Temple Terrace in Palmerston.

August 10: Male pedestrian fatally struck by a vehicle on Bagot Road, near the intersection of Fitzner Drive at Ludmilla.

Originally published as Man dies and woman receiving treatment after being hit by car in Darwin suburbs