Pedestrian Accidents
Snow Plow Accidents Have Killed Two People in Boston Area
During the past few weeks, snow plows have had little rest in the Boston area and Central Massachusetts. For most of us, they have been part of the background noise of a harsh winter and we have not even noticed them. But as of this week, two pedestrians have died as a result of snow plow crashes in the Boston area. Please be aware of the risks and talk to your family members about how you can stay safe.
On Monday afternoon, a 60-year-old employee at a Whole Foods store in Medford was struck and killed while walking across the store’s parking lot. The employee was just leaving work. The area was not open to the public at the time. The snow plow was operated Yerardi Landscape and Design of Medfield, authorities said. The snow plow accident remains under investigation by Medford Police and the Massachusetts State Police.
A week ago, a 57-year-old Weymouth woman was struck and killed by a snow plow driver who was clearing the parking lot outside her condominium complex, Tara Gardens. The driver had just cleared the woman’s parking space for her and a friend told The Boston Globe she had gotten out of her vehicle to ask him not to block her vehicle in as he left. Weymouth Police and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office are investigating the snow plow death.
We share a few safety tips:
1) Listen to Advisories. Follow the recommendations of state and local officials about when it is best to avoid walking or driving outside.
2) Wear Neon-Colored Vests and Bright Clothing. If you are walking in the street, a neon vest or bright clothing should be a requirement, even during the day. You want snow plow drivers, as well as other drivers, to see you.
Keep a vest in your car. You can use your vest when walking from your car to your destination. It may also come in handy someday if you break down.
3) Do Not Approach Plow Trucks. Pedestrians should never approach plow trucks. Let them stay focused on removing snow.
4) Contact the Property Owner Instead. If you live in an apartment or condo complex, keep the phone number of your building management company handy on your cell phone. If you have a complaint, take a photo to send to the building owner, who can share it with their plow company.
Do the same if you work at a business office, unless you are the owner; then safe snow removal is your responsibility.
5) Expect Plows Everywhere, Even After the Snow Ends. Expect plows everywhere for a while. Even when it is not snowing, expect plows will be out trimming down high snow banks and opening up narrow roads.
6) Do Not Follow Plow Trucks Too Closely. When driving, stay a few car lengths behind plow trucks. The snow plow could hit something hard unexpectedly and not be able to stop. Avoid passing snow plows.
7) If You Have An Accident with a Snow Plow Truck. If you are driving, make sure you stop in a safe place. As you do, take note of what the plow truck looks like and the license plate if you can do so safely. If the plow driver does not stop, immediately notify the local police department to file a car accident report.
Brockton Pedestrian Accidents Surge, City Officials Unveil Safety Plan
The mayor of Brockton has announced a plan to improve safety for those walking in the city. The city has seen an increase in pedestrian accidents, which have recently killed 8 pedestrians and injured 75 others. Seven of the eight pedestrian deaths have occurred since August 12.
Two victims were children, and in one case, police are still searching for the hit-and-run driver. In 2013, the city saw one fatal pedestrian accident.
Mayor Bill Carpenter proposed the safety plan on Monday, which draws on resources from a number of state and local agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police, the city’s Board of Health, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Safe Routes Alliance and Brockton Area Transit.
His plan will focus on three areas: engineering, enforcement and education. Some of the measures still require approval from the city Finance Committee.
Educational Awareness Campaign. The city will launch a pedestrian safety awareness campaign to educate both drivers and pedestrians. One focus will be to reduce use of electronic devices and cell phones by everyone on the road. Public service announcements, video documentaries and other safety materials will be introduced to students in Brockton Public Schools.
Increased Walking Patrols. These will be expanded in high-traffic areas, to allow officers to provide pedestrians and cyclists with safety information when they put themselves in harm’s way.
Increased Traffic Patrols in High-Crash Areas. The Massachusetts State Police will work with Brockton to increase patrols in high traffic areas.
Scarecrow Patrol Cars. Brockton Police will deploy “scarecrow” cruisers at some dangerous intersections. These have no officers, but are meant to put drivers who do not know that on alert.
Clearing Sidewalks. The city’s Board of Health will conduct enforcement to make sure sidewalks are clear and can be safely used by pedestrians.
Traffic Signals. The city will consider adding pedestrian countdown features to the traffic signals on Belmont Street. At the same time, the Mass Department of Transportation is now conducting a review of traffic signals across the city.
Brockton is not the only community which has seen an increase in pedestrian accidents. Nationwide, fatal pedestrian accidents increased 6 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s most recent figures. More than 33,000 were killed or about one every two hours.
Cyclist accidents are also on the rise, with a 16 percent increase from 2010 to 2012, according to the Governors Highway Safety Administration.
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Pedestrians Being Fined in Some U.S. Cities
Pedestrians now have to watch out for more than just traffic in two major cities.
Jaywalking laws have traditionally gone unenforced in many cities, but New York City and Los Angeles are now telling pedestrians to follow the letter of the law or face citation. Pedestrians are surprised, and in some cases, are facing hefty fines for crossing the street before the traffic signal changes. One man in Los Angeles was ticketed $197 as he walked to work.
“I didn’t even know that was against the law,” he told the New York Times. “I was like, “You are the L.A.P.D., and this is what you are doing right now?”
New York City Police are taking the same steps. The city saw 12 pedestrian fatalities in January, prompting new Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce Vision Zero, a plan to eliminate traffic deaths within 10 years. Vision Zero focuses largely on drivers, but at the same time, New York City Police have started enforcing jaywalking laws.
Pedestrians have responded strongly against enforcement, both in Los Angeles and New York City. In Los Angeles, a lawyer who was ticketed as he walked to a local courthouse told the New York Times:
“Honestly, I cussed them out for about five minutes. I told them what a stupid waste of time this was, and wasn’t it great that they had two police officers standing there when there are obviously more important issues out there.”
In New York City, an 84-year-old man, Kang Wong, has filed notice he plans to sue the city and police department for $5 million. He alleges he was pushed against a wall and beaten as he was cited, sustaining head injuries and other trauma.
In New York City, three of the pedestrians were killed in the Upper West Side, near Broadway and 96th Street. They were a 9-year-old boy who was hit by a taxi as he crossed the street with his father, a young doctor struck by an ambulance outside her apartment building and a 73-year-old man hit by a tour bus.
After these deaths, the city installed electronic signs warning pedestrians to use the crosswalks. Police stood by with a bullhorn, citing pedestrians who violated jaywalking laws $40-$100.
Every city has an interest in this conversation, including here in Boston and Massachusetts. Our state sees an average of 86 pedestrian deaths each year, nearly one fifth of all traffic fatalities, according to WalkBoston, a non-profit advocacy organization which represents pedestrians and 75 cities and towns across the state.
But rather than ticket pedestrians, WalkBoston advocates for improving infrastructure and education. For instance, it notes that 90 percent of pedestrians killed are struck by cars traveling 40 mph compared to 5 percent who die by cars traveling at 20 mph. One way to encourage drivers to slow down is to reduce travel lane widths, the organization says.
Perhaps you are wondering what the fine for jaywalking is in Massachusetts. We hope you are sitting down: It is $1.00! But after three offenses, the fine doubles M.G.L. c. 90, § 18A. Municipalities won’t balance their budgets on jaywalking tickets, that’s for certain.
Related:
New York City takes aim at jaywalking, The Boston Globe.
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Put Down the Cell Phone, No Walking While Distracted!
Do you talk on your cell phone or read e-mails while walking? Many of us do. This practice – often called walking while distracted – can cause serious injuries to you and others around you.
There is good reason to think about pedestrian safety. After years of decreases, overall pedestrian traffic deaths have been on the rise in the U.S. In 2011, 4,432 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle accidents, an 8 percent increase from 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
That same year, 1,152 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries from walking and using a cell phone or electronic device, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Company recently published a Pedestrian Safety Survey of over 1,000 adults. It reported 55 percent of respondents consider texting or e-mailing while crossing the street to be the most dangerous activity while walking.
This was even more than those who feel running across a street to beat oncoming traffic was most dangerous! Still, 60 percent of pedestrians reported texting, e-mailing or engaging in other behaviors while they walked, even though 70 percent considered the behavior dangerous.
Young people account for many of the distracted walkers. Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit organization, recently reported that it observed 34,000 children crossing the street near U.S. schools. One in five high school students and one in eight middle school students was distracted by a cell phone or electronic device.
A few tips for staying safe:
Put your cell phone away. Whenever you walk in a public area, put your phone in a bag or your briefcase. This includes supermarket parking lots, walking down the street on a sidewalk or waiting out at the bus stop with your child.
Don’t let the music distract you! Keep the volume low enough to hear traffic and other sounds around you. Do not adjust settings when crossing the street.
Step aside. It is best not to use your cell phone at all. But if you do, step away from the street and other pedestrians.
Crosswalks. Cars should stop at crosswalks for pedestrians, but do not take this for granted. Try and make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and never pull out your cell phone while standing and waiting to use a crosswalk.
Never use a cell phone while crossing the street. This may sound obvious: Do not step into the street while you are reading or entering data or talking on your cell phone.
Watch out for bicycles. Cyclists can pass traffic on the right hand side and may be moving alongside traffic that has stopped. Be careful when stepping into the street.
Watch for other pedestrians. Realize that other people are probably going to be walking while using their cell phone and you have to anticipate them.
Related:
Put that phone down and just walk, The Boston Globe. Read More
Pedestrian Accidents Surge in September
Two car accidents killed pedestrians this weekend in Lowell and Townsend, the latest in a series of injuries and deaths in the past month.
A 50-year-old Lowell man walking on West Sixth Street was killed early Sunday morning in a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. The previous day, a 57-year-old Townsend man was killed on Wallace Hill Road in that community. On Sept. 9, a 38-year-old man walking with his girlfriend’s young daughter was killed when he was struck by a Dodge Ram pick-up truck in Whitman. The 4-year-old was also hit and survived with serious injuries.
In the past month, pedestrians have also suffered serious injuries in car collisions in Northborough, Salem and Woburn.
When a pedestrian accident occurs, police often respond by increasing traffic monitoring as a signal to drivers that they are watching. When drivers take that message and pedestrians follow the rules of the road, the roads become safer for everyone. The attorneys at Breakstone, White & Gluck of Boston have over 85 years of combined experience handling car accident and pedestrian accident cases. We offer you these tips to stay safe on the road:
Tips for Pedestrians
Sidewalks. Use sidewalks as much as possible.
Understand the law. You have the most protection in crosswalks and intersections with “Walk” signals. Use these as much as possible.
Be patient. Resist the urge to cross the street before a “Walk” signal lights.
Pay attention. Do not talk on your cell phone or text while waiting to cross the street or when walking through traffic.
Wear bright colors. When walking or running at night or in the early morning, consider wearing a neon vest and carrying a flashlight.
Time of day. Be aware of when pedestrian accidents often occur. On weekdays, they are most likely to occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). On weekends, the majority occur between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Shopping areas. Pedestrian accidents can happen in parking lots at shopping areas and schools as well as on streets. Walk slowly and watch for cars pulling out of spaces.
Eye contact. When you are uncertain about what a driver is planning, attempt to make eye contact.
Tips for Drivers
Crosswalks. Pedestrian have the right of way. They have the most protection in crosswalks and intersections with “Walk” signals and green lights. You must stop before the crosswalk and not on it, even if no one is crossing it.
Slow down. Slowing your speed and looking out for pedestrians and bicyclists are the best way to avoid a car accident.
No texting while driving. This is against the law in Massachusetts and reduces your ability to react to other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Avoid other distractions. Limit distractions, such as talking on your cell phone, grooming and extensive use of the GPS and maps.
Change your travel route. Ask yourself if you can change your travel plans to reduce encounters with pedestrians. Maybe you can avoid school zones when classes are in session or dark roads when runners and walkers may be traveling.
School zones and buses. Drive slowly. In Massachusetts, the speed limit for school zones is 20 miles per hour. Remember you are required to stay 100 feet behind a stopped bus and cars are not allowed to pass other cars stopped for a school bus.
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