Ped hit near Seminole Square
by Hawes Spencer
published 1:59pm Saturday Mar 21, 2009
published 1:59pm Saturday Mar 21, 2009
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A 50-year-old man has been struck by a vehicle near Express Car Wash around the interesection of Emmet Street and India Road, according to a dispatch from the Emergency Communications Center.
What’s up ? Seems like this is getting to be a weekly occurrence.
What’s up? most likely, drivers on cell phones and totally oblivious to the entire world around them.
My guess is a pesestrian illegally crossing 29.
Pedestrian I should say.
Really? Cell phones? How about the j/a pedestrian’s that think they can just dart out in traffic. As I recall, there is no crosswalk there…..
Oh, and thanks to the hook for being tuned in…you ambulance chasers!
Ambulance chasers? Most news agencies listen to scanners nowadays. It allows them to know what’s going on as soon as it’s dispatched to the troll officer, fire department and rescue squad. A lot of the public listens to scanners too. It’s a pretty interesing hobby to many people, always has been.
Back to the topic at hand though… I had to run a few errands today. It was simply amazing to see the laws that are no longer being enforced and probably contributing to all the accidents lately. Every other driver has a cell phone up to their ear. They could run into a Greyhound bus before they even see it. (while driving while on a cell phone is not yet llegal, reckless driving by being distracted by a cell phone is). And the number of people now driving with ipod ear buds stuffed in both ears is reaching an all time high. It’s got to be very distracting to the people who usually can’t drive safely and chew bubble gum at the same time. And the number of cars traveling the road with dark tinted plastic license plate covers, you can’t even read the license plate from 10 feet away. If they hit and run a pedestrian you couldn’t possibly get their license plate number o identify them. When did local law enforcement in the city and county stop enforcing all these simple laws?
If the Government didn’t install red light cameras and speed cameras then people would not NEED to tint the license plates.
And before you get on your high horses about “you shouldn’t speed” i will beg you to simply read hoew they do it in Northern Va. First they install them, then they reduce the length of the time that the light is yellow. Anyone who has gone through the lrft from 29 onto Rio KNOWS that the yellow is too short. Especially if you are behind a slow poke.
They also set up the speed camersas for 6 miles an hour over the speed limit. If you are coasting down any hill that at 25 you will be 32 by the time you hit the bottom.
If the government really wanted to propmote safety they would plow that fine money into painting crosswalks and road improvements. Instead they use it to put on green roofs and give the welfare folks new washers and dryers.
Reality, I don’t notice that much speeding in and around Charlottesville and Albemarle County lately. There’s a few trouble areas, but not many. And the reason for this is traffic. Traffic is so heavy and congested now that people can’t speed but so far before the “slow pokes” you speak of get in the way or the next traffic light has caught them. Ten more years and traffic is going to be bumper to bumper from red light to red light. We’re going to look like one large parking lot. Come to think of it, maybe all of this is why so many people are sitting around in traffic with ipods and cell phones to occupy their time. One guy I ended up sitting beside in traffic the other day was rather creative too, he had a nice cold beer sitting between his legs in the driver’s seat.
The left turn lights at the Rio/29 intersection could definitely stand to be longer, but that doesn’t make it okay to go through when it’s already turned red.
Hey Hook, how about if you stop reporting every single pedestrian accident and instead do a more in-depth story about pedestrian safety? How many ped/traffic accidents are there in Cville and Albemarle every year, and is this number increasing? Of those, how many involve serious injuries or death? Is there any area in particular where more happen? How often is the driver or pedestrian ticketed after one of these accidents? How many can be attributed to driver or pedestrian distraction, i.e. talking on a cell phone or listening to an ipod?
Posting a short blurb every time an accident happens really isn’t much of a public service if you don’t follow up. It just leads to speculation with no facts.
Megan, I do think posting these occurrences as they happen is a service in that it reminds people to be alert, both pedestrians and drivers, and that accidents do happen. Most of us live in the it will never happen to me bubble.
Point taken, Buffalo girl, but by that logic they could spend the whole day, every day, updating the site with bad things that people wouldn’t have ever thought could happen to them. And most people I know don’t believe they could never be hit by a car because it’s already happened to them (not necessarily in Cville) or someone close to them.
To me this just seems like typical media voyeurism, an opportunity to get some website hits by appealing to all of us who secretly like the ambulance-chasing types of stories and the discussion that follows. (I will readily admit that I am one of these people.) I just would’ve expected more of the Hook.
Megan, what I find admirable is they bring attention to those that are often forgotten and get no press–pedestrians.
Do you see any other media outlet reporting these incidents ?
Just heard this morning on WINA of roadway improvements for pedestrians in Charlottesville–maybe the officials are reading this blog as well.
Sick, that was me buddy. Nothin like a cold brew to help releave my nerves from all these bad drivers out here!!
joke by the way. I dare not drink and drive let alone drink AND drive.
i see kids rolling blunts and hitting pipes all the time. the scary thing is i would rather be driving around them then an unattentive driver on a cell phone or an ass riding rice beater.