Mark Henderson

Woman, 80, latest pedestrian struck by vehicle in Worcester

  • Posted by Mark Henderson August 28, 2024 - Filed in News - #Worcester  #crash  #Pleasant Street  #Worcester Police Department  #pedestrian  #Airport Drive  - 11,649 views

    Woman sustains serious injuries after being at least the sixth struck by a vehicle in the last 2 months


    (Google)

    WORCESTER — An 80-year-old woman crossing Airport Drive was seriously injured after being struck by a pickup truck late Sunday afternoon.

    The accident is the latest in a rash of crashes between vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists.

    Police were called to Pleasant Street at Airport Drive at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, according to the Worcester Police Department. They found the woman, who was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

    The woman sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized, according to sources close to the family. The 016 is not reporting her name out of deference to the family.

    The driver of the vehicle, a Dodge Ram truck, called police and remained at the scene, according to scanner audio.

    A crash reconstruction unit was dispatched to the scene, according to police. A preliminary investigation found that the woman was in the crosswalk crossing Airport Drive from west to east when she was struck by the truck traveling west on Pleasant Street toward Airport Drive.

    Police say the crash is under investigation.

    The woman is at least the sixth pedestrian struck by a vehicle in Worcester in just over 2 months, and it comes a week after a woman ended up in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle on Greenwood Street.

    The others:

    • A 1-year-old girl struck on Lincoln Street sustained a head injury on June 24th.
    • A 13-year-old girl died after being struck on June 27th while crossing Belmont Street.
    • A 54-year-old man suffered a serious head injury on July 16th near the intersection of Park Avenue and Pleasant Street on July 16th.
    • A 13-year-old girl was struck on July 29th while crossing Shrewsbury Street.

    On August 1st, City Manager Eric Batista and Mayor Joe Petty declared a road safety crisis.

    This Week in Worcester reported on August 13th that there were over 90 car crashes with bikes or pedestrians in Worcester so far this year. 

    A study by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau showed that cost of Worcester pedestrian and cyclist crashes was nearly $500 million in 2019, according to a story on This Week in Worcester.

    On August 20th, the publication StreetsBlog published an article titled, "Amidst A ‘Crisis’ of Violent Crashes, Worcester City Council Slow-Walks Action for Safer Speed Limits." 

    On Tuesday night, District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj proposed a resolution declaring traffic deaths and injuries a public health emergency. That resolution was held for a second straight City Council meeting, this time by Councilor At-Large Donna Colorio, who chairs the council's Parking and Traffic Committee.

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