FedEx driver kills 90+ year old in Davis Square

[ron_newman]

A FedEx driver killed a 90*-year old lady this morning in Davis Square, by making a right turn from Holland Street to Dover Street without looking in the crosswalk first.

* some other news sources say she was 93

(Yes, this is a duplicate of the previous post, but neither the headline nor the text of that post really reflect what actually happened)

Comments

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

Do we know the driver didn't look into the crosswalk first? I don't want to start a driver vs pedestrian war, but I see the potential headline "pedestrian walks in front of car that has the right of way and nearly dies" on a daily basis. It is dangerous to be a pedestrian, but it is also hard to be a driver.

I hope this is the wake-up call the city needs to stop having design meetings and actually start doing something to help pedestrian safety in Davis Sq.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Agreed, and it's especially bad at Dover, where I am pleasantly surprised any time I see a pedestrian actually check for cars before crossing against the light. Or keep an eye out while crossing. I'm no driver apologist, but the Davis Square intersections in particular are one of the few places where I see pedestrians behaving far more dangerously than drivers.

(People stepping in front of moving cars who have the green-right-arrow on Highland is another common one that I can hardly believe doesn't result in accidents at least weekly.)

It's all still very sad for all involved. :(

[pixelsand.livejournal.com]

"(People stepping in front of moving cars who have the green-right-arrow on Highland is another common one that I can hardly believe doesn't result in accidents at least weekly.)"

That's mostly because the wait time for this crosswalk is absurd. The other Davis ped crossings I will agree with you on, but not this one. I'm wondering what the reason this green arrow even exists to begin with? Can't the cars turning right just wait for the normal green?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

The wait time is pretty much the same length at every light because they go in a cycle. I go through it all the time and I don't find the wait intolerable. Anybody who just can't stand it can walk east a bit down Highland and use the no-light crosswalk.

But even if the wait was ten minutes, it wouldn't excuse walking blithely in front of traffic. Or the one that gets me even worse -- pushing your baby in a stroller in front of oncoming traffic. Makes me want to scream.

[junesrose.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with the first two commentators. This is a sad story on both ends. I have the unfortunate experience of knowing someone who had a similar incident happend to them - they were behind the wheel, and an elderly woman came out of nowhere to cross the road; my friend hitting the woman. It's just awful.

But Davis is particularly bad. Both drivers and pedestrians need to take heed and err on the side of caution. We don't know who's actually at fault here, but I'm sure this driver is suffering this accident just as much at the poor woman's family.

[gingicat]

This is, admittedly, why I drive through Davis (and Harvard) with my foot on the brake. I feel really bad for all concerned.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

totally agree -- I'm now super cautious because of the many heedless pedestrians in the Davis area.

Note for pedestrians though -- cars do have blind spots in front as well as at the sides toward the back of the car. If you see a car with especially thick pillars at the sides of the windshield, that means that there's a blind spot when the car is making a turn. If a pedestrian is in that blind spot when the car is making a turn...