Jun 18, 2009 5:52 pm US/Eastern
5-Year-Old Girl Latest In Crosswalk Accidents
ABINGTON (WBZ) ―
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Brady Rix
The Enterprise Of Brockton
Five-year-old Brandi Rix was in stable condition Thursday, after being struck by a van Wednesday in Abington while she and her mother were crossing North Street.
"Speed was clearly a factor," said Abington police Chief Dave Majenski. The speed limit on North Street is 25 mph.
Majenski said, "Another car had already stopped for the mother and child, who were in the crosswalk. But the west-bound van, driven by a 28-year-old Brockton woman, didn't bother...and struck the child, throwing her about 50 feet."
State law says that when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, cars must yield, even if the driver of the car has a green light.
On Tremont St. in the South End Thursday, WBZ cameras saw several instances of pedestrians being trapped on a narrow median because drivers would not stop to let them use the crosswalk. Even a Housing Authority police cruiser failed to stop for a teenager in the crosswalk as he tried to make it across Tremont St.
Abington police Sgt. Bob Okeefe has an explanation for it.
"Drivers are too preoccupied to even notice pedestrians sometimes. They (drivers) are often on cell phones and don't notice who's around them."
The driver of the van who struck Brandi Rix has not been charged with any crime yet, but she's facing the possibility of being slapped with a felony driving offense.
Last weekend, a 4-year-old girl was killed when she was hit in a Stoughton crosswalk.
Read:
Elderly Driver Charged In Girl's Death
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