BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
WESTWOOD, N.J. — The borough’s Pedestrian Safety Task Force is adding a harrowing downtown accident under investigation to its review of challenges and priorities heading into the new year.
A 30-year-old borough woman was in surgery after being struck—and reportedly run over—at the intersection of Center and Westwood avenues by a borough man driving a pickup truck the late afternoon of Dec. 18.
The driver, 76, has been issues four summonses.
According to a police spokesperson, the victim was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center.
The extent of the pedestrian’s injuries has not been released. A knowledgeable source told Pascack Press the victim was having pins set in broken leg bones and suffers from abrasions.
A call to an immediate family member requesting an update was not returned by press time.
The 911 call came in at 4:45 p.m., according to a police spokesperson. Local police and EMTs responded first.
The spokesperson said the victim was walking westbound on the south side of Westwood Avenue into the crosswalk—not far from a borough pedestrian safety sign—when she was struck “just prior to the center of the roadway.”
The driver had been attempting to make a left from Westwood to Center at the time of the collision. He reportedly struck the woman with the front of his Ford F-250 and she fell beneath it.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Fatal Accident Investigation Unit was investigating along with borough police.
The county sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation collected evidence, including the truck, which was towed to police headquarters.
According to police, the driver stopped promptly and cooperated. He was issued four summonses: careless driving, making an improper turn, failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and having an obstructed view.
In the immediate aftermath, chatter bloomed on social media asking about police and ambulance activity in the area of Westwood Theaters.
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Residents, borough seek action
Residents have been discussing possible fixes for the confounding problem of pedestrian safety, and some have proposed the installation of additional traffic lights downtown.
Council President Christopher Montana, who heads up the borough’s Pedestrian Safety Task Force, told Pascack Press on Thursday that it’s too soon to say what happened for sure on Dec. 18 but the incident would be studied.
“It’s hard to comment other than to say she was injured. Thank goodness she’s OK. She’s got a little bit ahead of her, recovery-wise,” Montana said.
He said the task force, which pools the expertise of residents, the police department, and the borough engineer, next meets in January, at a date to be determined.
The group was formed in June in response to spring incidents in which three female pedestrians, one pregnant, were struck down at Westwood and Center, and another in which a pedestrian was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle driven by an elderly motorist outside Westwood Cemetery on Kinderkamack Road.
Montana said the best approach for drivers and pedestrians is to approach the streets defensively: pedestrians shouldn’t expect that they’ve been seen; drivers should anticipate that pedestrians might “pop up out of nowhere.”
“It’s the human factor. It’s challenging,” Montana said.
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The task force has been giving certain areas more scrutiny than others: Westwood at Center and Fairview, Broadway and Washington, Kinderkamack and Old Hook, and Irvington and Broadway are hot spots, he said.
A number of secondary sites are under review as well, Montana said.
The borough has re-striped some streets and crosswalks, looked at lines of sight—even removed parking meters where it was felt they interfered with sightlines—and is looking at lighting and other measures to help.
A Girl Scout project the governing body has backed will add flags to some downtown intersections next year.
Earlier this year the borough passed a resolution supporting Street Smart NJ, a public education campaign coordinated by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority that aims to raise awareness of pedestrian and motorist laws and change the behaviors that lead to pedestrian and cyclist crashes and fatalities.
The federal government designated New Jersey a pedestrian and bicycle safety focus state due to the Garden State’s high number of road deaths.
Participating communities work to raise awareness of pedestrian safety laws by hosting events, handing out information, and leveraging social media.
Local police have stepped up enforcement during the campaign to ensure motorists and pedestrians are obeying the laws.
The borough has “25 to 50” pole-mounted Street Smart placards out downtown reminding drivers to watch for pedestrians and for pedestrians to keep their heads up and phones down.
It distributes related postcards and tip cards through the municipality, including in the school system, the library, the Community Center, and businesses, in the hopes of saving lives.
Restaurants have been given related cup holders and coasters.
For more information, visit http://bestreetsmartnj.org.
Photo by John Snyder