Pedestrian hit in crosswalk at Walton and Thornden

Pedestrian Struck

On this date at approximately 1pm, a 70 year old South Orange resident was struck by a vehicle while crossing Walton Ave.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the female victim appeared to have been crossing in the crosswalk, at the intersection of Walton Avenue and Thornden Street. At this time, victim appears to have suffered non life-threatening injuries and was alert and conscious upon being transported to hospital. The driver, a 63 year old Maplewood resident was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. The investigation remains going.

Questions and/or information can be directed to Sgt. Adrian Acevedo at aacevedo@southorange.org

I am so sick and tired of the way people drive around here! My husband and I have lived many places besides this area many of which were just as congested (if not more) and we both remarked the other day that we have never seen the level of rudeness and aggressiveness with regards to driving as we have in this area.  

Personally, I never see much enforcement.  Are the police really out there enforcing speeding?  More enforcement would help but more importantly, what can we do to change the culture of driving around here?  It's become a major quality of life issue.  

OP does not mention speeding.  I have witnessed both rude driving and courteous driving locally.  In my opinion, as a pedestrian  I have been blessed by many more courteous and mannerly drivers than rude ones.  My assumption is that a 63 year old driver could have been inattentive or distracted, and probably not speeding at 1 PM.  But then again...

It is also possible that the 70 year old was distracted and stepped into the crosswalk without looking; or that there was a condition such as layout of the intersection or high, dense foliage at the corner that obstructed sight lines and prevented driver and pedestrian from seeing each other until it was too late.  We just don't know based on the information Jamie posted above.  What we do know is that too many pedestrians in our community are being hit by cars.  Something needs to be done on multiple fronts to prevent these incidents going forward.

There was another incident last Saturday when two 13 year-old females were hit by a car while in the crosswalk of SO Ave. near the flagpole.

There are places where views of pedestrian crosswalks are obstructed by cars that are parked close to the crosswalks... especially true with large cars, pick-ups and S.U.V.'s.

jamie said:

Pedestrian Struck


On this date at approximately 1pm, a 70 year old South Orange resident was struck by a vehicle while crossing Walton Ave.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the female victim appeared to have been crossing in the crosswalk, at the intersection of Walton Avenue and Thornden Street. At this time, victim appears to have suffered non life-threatening injuries and was alert and conscious upon being transported to hospital. The driver, a 63 year old Maplewood resident was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. The investigation remains going.

Questions and/or information can be directed to Sgt. Adrian Acevedo at aacevedo@southorange.org

That particular crosswalk is wide open. The only reasonable explanation (while we're making **** up) is that it was bulk trash day at the DPW and everyone was temporarily insane. 

cramer said:

There was another incident last Saturday when two 13 year-old females were hit by a car while in the crosswalk of SO Ave. near the flagpole.

That one is the worst. On at least two occasions I had people come roaring around me while I was stopped for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

There are places where views of pedestrian crosswalks are obstructed by cars that are parked close to the crosswalks... especially true with large cars, pick-ups and S.U.V.'s.

RobB said:

That particular crosswalk is wide open. The only reasonable explanation (while we're making **** up) is that it was bulk trash day at the DPW and everyone was temporarily insane. 

The problem with visibility is one that is particular to Maplewood Avenue, especially across from Arturos, when vehicles are parked there are parked at angles, next to crosswalks. 

Vehicles, like the GMC van stick out into the roadway. A pedestrian is 1/3 into the crosswalk before s/he can be seen.

Sorry if I am making **** up. 

Thornden and Walton is just a block up from the park.  I see people tearing through there at 50mph+ with little kids standing on the edge of the street.  A cop with a radar gun could write tickets all day long right there.

Assume anyone facing across the street, in motion or not, is going to step in front of you and drive accordingly. If it’s a high pedestrian area and your view of the pedestrian walking area is blocked, assume a 2 year old is going to gazelle out of that blind spot and make sure you’re going slow enough to prevent it, no matter how pissed the people behind you get.

I had a father with children step out from between cars in town right into the street. I jammed on the brakes and he proceeded to yell at me for almost hitting his kids. I tried to calm him down, but as he was in high dudgeon I finally said I took more care in watching out for his kids than he did. There was a crosswalk 15 feet away.

People get distracted and assume too much attention is being paid by “the other guy”. So it is best to be the paying attention “other guy” and fulfill their expectations.

What Klinker said. 

Just about our first experience after moving to Maplewood with preschoolers:  we were crossing Walton at Audley to go to the park (we were in the crosswalk and had "looked both ways"), when somebody blew around the (blind) curve going north on Walton at about 45 mph, scaring me to death, and then leaned on their horn like we should have known they were there.  No harm, no foul, I guess, but wow.  Sorry to hear there's still a lot of speeding there.

Part of the problem, as I understand it, is that when there is a problem with a trend such as failure to yield to pedestrians, people ask the police to enforce the law. Then when police do that, those who are stopped or cited complain that the police have better things to do than to harass tax-paying citizens over minor crap. You need a resolution between those two forces. If you're cited for something that seems minor, take the rap and don't fight it. Some of these things might be more important than you think. Sorry to sound arrogant, but I really think people in New Jersey drive worse than in other places especially at respecting pedestrians' safety and rights. Do you drive at or near the speed limit on streets with crosswalks? Do you watch for the possibility of pedestrians when you approach a crosswalk?

Tom_Reingold said:

Part of the problem, as I understand it, is that when there is a problem with a trend such as failure to yield to pedestrians, people ask the police to enforce the law. Then when police do that, those who are stopped or cited complain that the police have better things to do than to harass tax-paying citizens over minor crap. You need a resolution between those two forces. If you're cited for something that seems minor, take the rap and don't fight it. Some of these things might be more important than you think. Sorry to sound arrogant, but I really think people in New Jersey drive worse than in other places especially at respecting pedestrians' safety and rights. Do you drive at or near the speed limit on streets with crosswalks? Do you watch for the possibility of pedestrians when you approach a crosswalk?

Tom - That's exactly what happens in South Orange when an enforcement program is conducted. All that you have to do is read the comments on SOMA Lounge or nextdoor.com. People who have been stopped cry that it's just a revenue raiser.

The son of the female that was hit posted on SOMA Lounge this morning that his mother has multiple fractures and a head laceration. She is currently hospitalized, but is lucid and coherent.  

I am usually very cautious with pedestrians, but last week as I was making a left onto Ward from S.O. Ave., some young woman crossed against the light while texting and not paying a bit of attention.  With all that construction and cones in the way, I literally did not see her until she and my car almost hit head on.  Scary!

I was crossing at Academy and Third yesterday with my sister. A woman coming down Third had stopped to let us go and the car coming up Third wasn't even at the intersection, when she gunned it, ran the stop sign and blew by us. Sheesh!

Sure, pedestrians should be careful and get off their phones. But remember, they are pedestrians: they weigh less and are softer than whatever 3000 lb machine you're driving. It's still your responsibility to watch out for them.

Okokokok said:

I am usually very cautious with pedestrians, but last week as I was making a left onto Ward from S.O. Ave., some young woman crossed against the light while texting and not paying a bit of attention.  With all that construction and cones in the way, I literally did not see her until she and my car almost hit head on.  Scary!

It is the responsibility of BOTH pedestrians and drivers to be aware of the dangers.  I have had many experiences like the one described by okokok.  Including today.  So many people step out into the street or across parking lots without even a glance up.  Here's what I taught my child: you may be right about crossing the street but you may also be dead.  Your body vs a 2-3,000 lb vehicle?  Which one will survive according to the laws of physics?  EVERYONE needs to be vigilant at intersections. And remember that the hour around sunset is one of the worst times for visibility.  I don't want to hit you but I cannot read your mind.

Drivers and pedestrians must both be vigilant and more careful.  Many drivers drive way too fast in our area, well exceeding the 25 mph speed limit, especially on through streets like Ridgewood and Walton, which are lined with houses.  Drivers should slow down near crosswalks to make sure no pedestrians are present.  Driver laziness/cutting corners is also prevalent -- i.e., not using turn signals, weaving across lanes, not fully stopping at stop signs, edging into intersections, driving around cars that are making turns, not turning on headlights, wearing headphones while driving, et al.  Not all drivers are like this, but a good percentage and enough to create hazardous situations.  As a pedestrian or bicyclist, we can't predict driver behavior.

As for pedestrians, crossing mid-block, walking while texting/looking at phone, walking into the crosswalk without assessing the situation are common issues.  Pedestrians also do not realize that drivers have a hard time seeing them at dusk or night when wearing dark clothes, and street lighting in our towns is terrible.

Agree with @nakille and @rbcole123. Truly sorry this woman was hit and in no way claiming it was her fault, but as a driver and a pedestrian, I've seen some crazy stuff. Sadly, as a pedestrian, being in the crosswalk does not guarantee a driver will stop. Just like some drivers don't understand a 4 way stop, some still don't get the crosswalk law. 

I've been a driver on S.O. Ave and have stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross and am bracing for the car behind me to not only slow to a stop, but to see that I'm stopped. I've seen pedestrians run/walk through moving traffic WITH CHILDREN in arms and them cross against the light daring someone to hit them. I've seen drivers race around pedestrians only to get to a red light and driver's who will look only to the right of them before pulling out into the intersection but not to the left. 

When I walk solo or with dogs, I don't assume anything. There is no protective shield around us in the crosswalk. And when it's dusk or dark, it's even worse. 

Perseverance said:

I am so sick and tired of the way people drive around here! My husband and I have lived many places besides this area many of which were just as congested (if not more) and we both remarked the other day that we have never seen the level of rudeness and aggressiveness with regards to driving as we have in this area.  

Personally, I never see much enforcement.  Are the police really out there enforcing speeding?  More enforcement would help but more importantly, what can we do to change the culture of driving around here?  It's become a major quality of life issue.  

Don't blame the police.  It's the people that live there.

... it is partly the people who live here and plant/maintain overgrown plants and other obstacles that block line of sight for both drivers and pedestrians, partly the the people who drive through here, partly the volume of traffic that passes through here, and partly the current design of our streets and roadways.  This is a problem that needs to be addressed on multiple fronts.

This is the sign from the crosswalk in front of the Playground. I think it reflects the care and concern shown by drivers for the children playing there. 

Drivers are careless all over but the reckless driving in front of the park on Walton is a clear and present danger to the children who play there. The police need to do something. 

Yes, people who drive around here are overly aggressive, careless, rude and entitled. Unfortunately, that's the driving culture here and it's only getting worse with an increased volume of traffic.  One way to deal with some of this is heightened police enforcement.  We've all driven through towns where you know that if you speed, you get a ticket.  I've reached a point where I'd like to see that here.  Just the other day, there were cars parked illegally all over Maplewood Village which made it dangerous for pedestrians trying to cross and cars who are unable to see those pedestrians because their view is blocked by the illegal parking.  The police walked right by those cars.  They could have easily ticketed them.  

The volume of traffic has increased significantly here. For me personally, I've found both towns have become overly congested to the point of me considering moving my family to a quieter area. I don't feel safe crossing many busy streets like Valley with my daughter.  I had wanted a walkable town.  It's not what I thought it would be.  

gadge7 said:

Don't blame the police.  It's the people that live there.

Agreed that the parking in Maplewood Village in illegal spots is out of control. In front of Kings and the Freemans. By the stationary store and the ice cream parlor. Illegal left turns into an open space have increased. Why we have even seen a police cruiser parked illegally at the corner of Maplewood and Durand in front of the RE agency while the officer(s) were off doing who knows what.

There are spots open in various lots even on Friday and Saturday nights but you may have to walk 2 or 3 blocks to get to your destination. Check out the commuter lot across from Able Baker or, heaven forbid, the parking on Dunnell Road an easy walk to town through the train tunnel. Some have even mentioned parking in the library lot after hours.