Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

ABC News in D.C. Calls Dead Pedestrians “Lazy”

Omar Rivas, killed in Silver Spring, earlier this month, was a maintenance worker and father. He sung in his church’s choir. Photo: Gofundme

So many people are getting run over in the Washington, D.C. suburb of in Montgomery County that at least one news outlet has decided that the cause must be the victims themselves!

"7 pedestrians killed by vehicles in Mont. County since June 1, laziness a key factor," reads the headline on Kevin Lewis's story for WJLA, the ABC affiliate that reported this week on the seven dead pedestrians in the Maryland county since June.

"Lazy" wasn't Lewis's word, but the explanation offered by Capt. Tom Didone, of Montgomery County's Traffic Division.

"They're being lazy not getting to the crosswalk," he told WJLA. "People are blindly walking across the street, not paying attention to these cars."

Can you imagine? It's like they walked right up to the car and ran themselves over.

So who are the people being publicly slandered shortly after their deaths? The story offered very few details on what happened before the driver killed the pedestrian, but Streetsblog was able to get some information about two of the victims:

Omar Rivas Cardenas, 51, was a maintenance worker who sang in his church's choir. The driver who struck and killed him did not stop.

Edwin Diaz, 38, was hit while walking on the sidewalk and then dragged 25 feet under the car before the driver pulled over, WTOP reported. In that case, the driver may be charged criminally.

Montgomery County, Maryland, has a Vision Zero policy, meaning it hopes to end all traffic deaths. But the county is currently on track for an increase over last year. Meanwhile, here are the types of roads the county's pedestrians are still contending with.

norbeck road
false

Julio Danery Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 34, was struck on this stretch Norbeck Road August 16th.

Now "jaywalking" — we should remind you — was a concept actually invented by car companies in order to shift blame for car violence in cities onto pedestrians. And clearly, it worked spectacularly. Indeed, under Maryland law, pedestrians must yield to drivers outside of crosswalks, which is contrary to many states.

But whether or not, strictly speaking, any of the victims were "jaywalking," it doesn't excuse their deaths. Nobody deserves to die because he or she steps outside of two stripes at some point in the journey. And it's a cautionary tale about how the media typically covers crashes when the driver survives and the victim can't speak for himself.

With safer, more narrow streets, more frequent crosswalks, better streetlights or any number of other interventions, the deaths of people like Edwin Diaz and Omar Rivas Cardenas might have been prevented.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

First OC Streetcar Arrives

The $649 million 4.1-mile OC Streetcar light rail line is 92 percent complete, and now anticipated to open in spring 2026

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

California and Trump continue to spar and more news from up and down the state.

May 8, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

State Supreme Court Reinforces Rules that Cities Must Maintain Safe Roads

When Ty Whitehead was injured in a crash caused by a pothole in Oakland, it sparked an eight-year legal battle that is still being waged.

May 7, 2025
See all posts