UPDATED: Two pedestrians hit by cars in Gainesville in the first two days of the year
Updated at 5:09 p.m. on January 7 with additional information from GPD
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two pedestrians were hit by vehicles in the first two days of 2025, with one man and his dog succumbing to their injuries.
The first accident was reported at 12:35 a.m. on January 1 at the intersection of University Avenue and Main Street. According to Gainesville Police Department (GPD), a vehicle traveling westbound on University Avenue with a green light hit a pedestrian who was crossing University Avenue from south to north against the light. The pedestrian was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The investigation is continuing.
At about 5:42 p.m. on January 2, a car was traveling northbound on NE 7th Street while a man and his dog were walking westbound on NE 16th Avenue. According to GPD, the car entered the intersection and hit the pedestrian before flipping. The pedestrian was transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, and the dog was taken to a veterinarian, where it died of its injuries. The driver of the car was transported to a hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is continuing.
The victim of the January 2 crash has been identified by Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors as Matt Umanos, a local Realtor. Funeral services were held on Saturday.
Thank you for being persistent in the search for facts. Sad situations.
University and Main…panhandler?
That being said, given the proximity to the Sheriff’s Office and relative closeness to GPD, that red light gets run all of the time; I could meet my quota every month if I were positioned there. Instead of having many of the personnel in offices, maybe those agencies should refocus their efforts where it can benefit the most.
Quota?
Yes, quota. If you don’t think there’s ‘competition’ for citations written you’re pretty naive – whether it’s written or not.
The city gets less than a dollar for tickets. Not worth their time.
It was 12:38 a.m. on January first. That’s New Year’s Eve to the average person. I think the timing and the general location (downtown) had a lot more to do with the problem than a particular intersection. Panhandler or not, you know there were a lot of irresponsible people out that night, and people were being irresponsible all over the city.
And the people responsible for the panhandlers were probably in the comfort of their homes with their families.
Except Saco, her family has probably disowned her.
The article clearly states that that vehicle had the green light, and the pedestrian was crossing against the light. This is not a case of someone running a red light. It is a case of pedestrians across the city thinking that no matter what, they have the right of way in cross walks, outside of cross walks doesn’t matter. If a car is going 35 and you step off the curb, in the dark, the vehicle is expected to stop and let’s be honest, while I’m sorry there was an accident with injuries, the pedestrian was in the wrong. Had that pedestrian died the driver of the vehicle would have had to live with that for the rest of their lives.
What’s your point?
I stated those red lights get run all of the time. That doesn’t even count the ‘No Turn On Red’ that’s posted. There’s also a panhandling presence all the time. I guess that’s okay as well since that’s pretty much ignored as well.
May want to review my original statement if you’re implying I didn’t comprehend the article.
Can we assume that your apparent familiarity with this intersection means that you are also a panhandler there?
Above intended for This may work, who spends an inordinate amount of time and effort speculating on an incident he knows nothing about beyond what we can all read here ourselves. By the way, far be it from me to get in a urinating contest on which intersections in the city have the most traffic violations, but it seems unlikely that one which has numerous lights preceding it in short order (like every block), no matter what direction you come from, would be leading in that category. But I defer to This may work’s observation if indeed he mans one of the traffic dividers with sign and cup daily.
Needlessly tragic.
It is a shame that GPD has not responded to your requests. I know they are short staffed but this is inexcusable. Matt was a great man. There were over 200 people at his funeral which was held 2 days after he was killed. A senseless death that has affected many people. The driver should know this.
The victims are all his neighbors, co-workers, etc. The driver should probably sit in jail for at least a couple of years as he was know to have a habit of driving too fast and it wasn’t just a fluke incident.
Mr. Peabody, I heard that the driver was told to slow down earlier and that he did not have a license. No matter what happens to the driver, he has to live with the fact that he killed someone. I hope he strives to be a better person than the man he killed. If that is possible. I personally knew Matt. You wouldn’t meet a nicer man. A tragic loss for so many in the community.
People just launch themselves right out in front of cars now days. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to slam on brakes because of idiots emerging behind cars or where you can’t see them, into traffic. Maybe this will help curb that, but I doubt it. People are outright dumb these days.
State should NEVER have embraced the lunacy that says pedestrians have right of way in busy roads.
That said, I’m not presuming the victim was at fault in this case. Sympathy for all those who will miss him.
The guy was walking his dog in the afternoon in front of his house. The driver was going so fast that he lost control of the car as he came around the corner onto the residential street, killing both the pedestrian and his dog. The driver had to be extricated from his own vehicle after it also hit a tree. This is definitely not one of those “there’s lots of blame to go around” cases.
I live on the same block as Matt. His dog Elmyra and him were a daily occurrence and source of joy in the neighborhood. Many people at his candlelight vigil spoke of the impact both of them made in their lives. I looked forward to seeing Matt and Elmyra and so did my dog. I can still see them walking down the street. They will both be missed. AC please do NOT give up on this story. The individual who was driving recklessly needs to be held accountable!
Looks like the new regime at GPD is having adjustment pains. New Chief is a tough leader. He is weeding out the dregs who apply.
Times are real tough as folk are not interested in being the po-lice anymore.
I did see that the Main and University incident was because the pedestrian stepped in front of the car which had a green light.
These distinctions are important.
If a drunk falls off of the sidewalk into the path of a moving vehicle and dies the solution is not to limit vehicle speed, size, density etc.
Did they have a sign asking for food or money?
Who was the driver that killed the young man and his dog?
A name was on the police report but has not been circulated by news. But the police report is public. 18 year old who lives on the block behind (6th St between 16th ave and 23rd ave) and has a history of speeding, per neighbor reports. Seems like special treatment to me; this is not a minor and the news often lists the name of the driver.
Supposedly, he doesn’t even have a driver’s license. Being weird and antisocial isn’t an alibi or excuse.
Thanks for following up. Sad for the loss of life and the ancillary suffering of both the victims and the drivers.