RED BANK – Red Bank Police, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office and the Crossroads initiative are all conducting an investigation into how a 78 year-old borough woman carrying groceries was struck and critically injured by a van at the southern end of Broad Street at the Pinckney Road intersection, in the vicinity of the Super Foodtown supermarket late Tuesday morning.
The victim, who has not been identified, was taken by helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, according to Capt. Thomas McDonough, with the borough police. Police Chief Darren McConnell said on Wednesday authorities have not released the victim’s name, pending family notification. Charles Webster, a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, said the victim is listed in critical condition “with life threatening injuries.” As of Wednesday afternoon the victim’s condition remained unchanged, McConnell said.
“This lady, from all indications, was in the right,” walking in a designated crosswalk at the time of the collision, said McConnell. Moving vehicles are required to stop when pedestrians are in a crosswalk.
This is the third incident since April where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle. But in the other two cases, police determined the pedestrians were in the wrong, crossing against the traffic signal or stepping out from between parked cars. In these cases drivers weren’t issued summons but one pedestrian was.
The Crossroads team initiative, lead by The Two River Times, will hold an emergency meeting this month to discuss what advances have been made in studying specific intersections in Red Bank already under review and will add this intersection to the project, said Jody Calendar, executive editor/co-publisher.
“Obviously, the group has to be briefed about the status of the county study of the intersections of Broad and Front Street as well as Broad and Monmouth,” she said. “But it’s clear this intersection must be added, as well as looking at the just as busy thoroughfare, Shrewsbury Avenue.”
Chief McConnell and his department have stepped up enforcement, with additional officers assigned to monitor traffic as staffing permits, as they traditionally do this time of year and in cooperation with the Crossroads initiative. “We’re still finding a good number of violations,” mostly by drivers, he said.
The leading violations police are issuing involve using handheld cellphones while driving. “There’s definitely a large uptick,” in those summons, McConnell said, making no apologies for that increase. “The only way to get compliance is with enforcement,” he said, but acknowledging compliance is often slow in coming, recalling when seat belts became mandatory.
Calendar applauded the increased enforcement but said, “Solutions have to be found. We have lights at Broad and Front that tell both motorists and pedestrians to proceed simultaneously. In this case, there isn’t a light and the intersection has been deemed dangerous by motorists and pedestrians alike.”
That busy and congested intersection, where County Route 520 and Broad Street and Maple Avenue/State Highway 35 all converge, has long been problematic, noted Mayor Pasquale Menna. “It is really, really difficult,” he said. And given that, “I really think the time has come for the review of the entire configuration,” of the traffic pattern in the area, mayor added.
Menna suggested that the southern most portion of Broad, south of Wikoff Place, in the area of Foodtown, to the Broad Street/Newman Springs Road intersection might function better as a one-way with traffic only allowed to travel south. Such a reconfiguration of the roadway would need county government approval, however, as Broad and Pinckney are both county roadways in that area (extensions of Route 520), Menna pointed out.
County spokesperson Laura Kirkpatrick declined to comment on Menna’s suggestion until authorities complete their investigation and Menna approaches the freeholders with his recommendation. An impediment to making any changes to the location would be possible objections raised by the owners of the supermarket, the Azzolina/Scaduto families, who have raised concerns in the past to any changes, Menna said.
In response to those possible future objections Menna said, “That is really not a cogent argument when it comes to safety, especially when it comes to people who live in that neighborhood who walk.” Philip Scaduto, president of Food Circus Supermarkets, which owns the local Foodtown, took exception with the mayor’s assertions. “I don’t believe that to be accurate at all,” Scaduto said. “I don’t believe we’ve had any dialogue on that at all.”
Scaduto also stressed his company has had a good relationship with borough officials and when any proposal is presented “We’ll sit down and talk about it.” To his knowledge Scaduto said he wasn’t “aware of any issues or complaints by anybody,” about traffic in the area of his store.
Chief McConnell said, “That’s a problem intersection, a busy intersection,” and one where there have been other incidents of vehicles hitting pedestrians “to varying degrees of severity.” If county and borough officials are intent on looking for improvements in that area. “A traffic signal is a thought there,” he suggested. It would be relatively close to another signal a short distance south but that has been done elsewhere such as at the Maple Avenue/White Street/Water Street intersection. And “That, I think, would dramatically improve pedestrian safety at that intersection,” on Broad Street, McConnell said.
Menna said there hasn’t been any further discussions or steps taken on pedestrian/traffic safety that have been raised with The Two River Times’ initiative Crossroads, intended to facilitate improvements in public safety.
The county engineers’ study to look at improvements at two traffic signaled intersections is in the works, according to county spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick Police have been less aggressive citing pedestrians, using warnings for jaywalking and other offenses, McConnell said.
According to Webster, Michael Phillips, 42, Brick Township, was driving a 2012 Ford Econoline van, traveling west on Pinckney Road. Phillips was attempting to turn south on Broad Street, striking the woman. The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m., Tuesday, according to McDonough. The Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Team responded to the scene. Authorities are asking anyone with any information to contact Det. Eric Kerecman, with the prosecutor’s office, at 1-800-533-7443; or Red Bank Police Patrolman Thomas Doremus, at 732-530-2700.
By John Burton
Editor’s Note: The Two River Times Crossroads initiative to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety in Red Bank and the surrounding Two River Area is a consortium of the newspaper, government officials from Red Bank, Monmouth County and the state, as well as stake holders including Meridian’s Riverview Hospital and Newport Media Holding, LLC.
