On April 22nd, police responded to a car/pedestrian cast at the intersection of Main Street and Second Street involving a five-year-old female. After investigating, police determined the crash happened as the girl and her parents were walking southbound in the crosswalk on the east side of the intersection. Traffic in the north-most lane had stopped to yield to the pedestrians. As the pedestrians began to cross, a Kia hatchback westbound on Main Street in the middle lane failed to notice that traffic was stopped for the pedestrians. The driver of the Kia slammed on the brakes, but the vehicle still ended up coming into contact with the five-year-old, knocking her to the ground. Luckily, the girl received no significant injuries. The driver of the Kia was cited for Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk.
*** It’s worth noting that this is a common way that some of our car v. pedestrian crashes play out. As the weather warms, we’d encourage drivers to be on the lookout for an increased number of pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles using our sidewalks and roadways. On top of that, we’d encourage motorists to also be aware of other vehicles stopped at crosswalks, as it’s a good indicator that a pedestrian is using the crosswalk.
