FeedsWayne woman killed in traffic accident
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Wayne Police closed down a section of Michigan Avenue after a traffic accident killed a pedestrian Friday morning.A 72-year-old Wayne woman was killed while crossing Michigan Avenue last Friday morning.
Police haven’t released the name of the victim, nor the 18-year-old man who struck her, but said charges could be levied against the driver.
“It’s still open and under investigation,” said Lt. Jason Wright of the Wayne Police Department. “Eventually it will be presented to the Wayne County Prosecutor, which is what we do with all fatal accidents.”
The prosecutor will decide which, if any, charges will be filed.
Police have an idea of what happened at about 11 a.m. on Friday, though. Wright said the victim, who lived in the Westchester Towers Apartment building, was crossing Michigan Avenue from the Kroger Store when she was struck. She died at the scene.
“At this point, there’s no evidence that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident,” Wright said, “and there’s no indication of excessive speed.”
Police cordoned off the stretch of the road between the railroad viaduct and Elizabeth Street as they photographed a scene strewn with a few grocery items.
Wright said the suspect has been very cooperative throughout the course of the investigation.
“The driver stopped; nobody tried to flee or anything like that,” Wright said. “He ran back to see if he could help.”
Sue Coyle, the manager of Westchester Towers, said she heard the collision, discovered the body and called 911.
“I didn’t see it happen,” she said.
There’s no direct crosswalk between the high rise and the shopping center across the street, and she said she’s continually reminding residents that it’s not safe to cross there.
“I’m always tell them they need to cross at the light,” she said.
Another resident said that even at the crosswalks in the area, speeders and inattentive drivers have made crossing the streets perilous and that it was something that needed to change.
“I live in Wayne and it’s pure hell to cross (Michigan Avenue),” said Nicole Purdie. “Hopefully they’ll do something. How many more people have to die?”
Although the victim has not yet been identified by police, Debbie Lyczak of Wayne, who works at the Kroger, said she knew the victim by sight because of her regular visits to the store.
“You know these people when you see them every day,” she said. “She was very friendly whenever she came in and she seemed very frail.”
She said she was also frustrated by the lack of safety precautions put in place for the many pedestrians who cross the road at that location, despite the heavy traffic and the number of prior accidents. She said something needs to be done to improve safety.
“I think there should be a light there,” said Lyczak. “The speed limit changes and people don’t slow down. They don’t slow down unless they get stopped at the light on Elizabeth.”
Wright said he incident was a tragedy for both families—the victim’s and the suspect’s.
“It’s an extremely unfortunate incident,” he said. “It was very traumatic for both families. It was horrible for everyone involved. It was just a sad day.”
He said the department would most likely conclude their investigation and forward their findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor this week.
