tom hanson is here in new york with that and more. good morning, tom. >> reporter: good morning.be with you. asian markets finished higher this morning with trade talks between the u.s. and china set to continue is wee washington. both parties reported progress following negotiations last week in beijing. now president trump says the u.s. is close to reaching a deal. the president also discussed the possibility of extending the march 1st deadline. that's when additional tariffs on chinese goods would go into effect if a deal isn't reached. >>> and a british regional airline ceased operations leaving hundreds of passengers stranded across europe. british midlands regional limited, the airline that operates as fly bmi, made the announcement after filing for bankruptcy over the weekend. the company says the decision was made because of inflated fuel costs and uncertainty over britain's departure from the european union. >>> and a jury has awarded more than $151 million to a man paralyzed in a 2015 rollover accident involving a ford explorer suv. travaris smith was riding in the suv

tom hanson reports. >> reporter: a simple walk to the mailbox ended in tragedy for robert downing.to pick up his mail when he was hit by a car and died. neighbor bob benoit knew downing since he was 4 years old. >> he was like a step dad to me. it's very hard. >> reporter: new research shows accidents like these are on the rise. >> it's alarming the number of pedestrian fatalities we're seeing now. >> reporter: russ martin is with the governors highway safety association. preliminary data from the new report estimates more than 6,200 pedestrians were killed on u.s. roads in 2018, up 35% since 2008. >> this is the highest number of pedestrian fatalities on an annual basis since 1990. >> reporter: one reason for the increase is because people are walking more. another factor, americans are driving larger vehicles. the report says pedestrian deaths involving suvs have jumped 50% since 2013. >> what we found in our research is most pedestrian crashes are taking place on local roads. they're happening at night. they're happening away from intersections. >> reporter: many modern streets

as tom hanson reports, the polar vortex is loosening its icy grip. >> reporter: in milwaukee, wisconsin, the temperature tower sign said it all. intense cold kept a dangerous and deadly grip on the midwest and worked its way into many parts of the northeast on thursday. in cotton, minnesota, the temperature without the windchill was 56 degrees below zero. chicago broke another daily record hitting 21 below. >> if you don't have to be outside, don't go outside. >> reporter: mayor rahm emanuel thanked those reaching out to help others in need during the brutal cold snap. the city's fire department has been bringing an extra truck on every run. >> equipment freezing up. we've got ladders that are frozen, hose that's frozen. >> reporter: the chicago river is so frozen it looks more like an ice rink. the fire department broke out its icebreaker to deter people from walking on the river until emergency boats can pass. in a week that brought the midwest to a freezing crawl, a sign of hope -- the u.s. postal service plans to resume mail delivery in chicago. many are hoping the worst is over. >>

tom hanson, cbs news new york. >> the painting can take one year up to 10 years to complete. >> ellen so three paintings at sotheby's with the top price at $800. >> it's amazing. >>> it is 4:51 am. >>> the bay area man continues is run on survivor and the big bang theory, and more, on your hollywood headlines. >>> here is a look outside over the city of san jose, still early so grab your coffee and join us. >>> good thursday morning. it is a chilly start to the day with plenty of sunshine through the afternoon. we have cool, below average daytime highs. the normal high should be in the low 60s. we are in the mid to upper 50s through the afternoon today. 56 in mountain view and milpitas, 57 at pleasant hill and 55 for danville. 57 at berkeley and alameda. oakland through thursday afternoon as low 50s, al lakeport and clearlake. we will talk about the rest of the week coming up. >>> outside of the typical congested your fine on 580 and the bay bridge. it is a decent start to your thursday morning drive. drive times are 34 minutes westbound 580, 205-680 connector loading up out of the al