On December 24 at 8:52 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a 911 call reporting that two pedestrians had been struck by an automobile on Market Street in the area of the Post Office.
Police said 20-year-old Jonathan Swart and 57-year-old Diane Swart of Saugerties walked off the curb into the street, directly into the path of a south bound 2005 Chrysler sedan operated by Ingrid Loeffler of Saugerties. Both pedestrians were treated at the scene by paramedics from DIAZ Ambulance and then transported to the hospital in Kingston with minor injuries. Both pedestrians were cited under the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law for not using the crosswalk and for failing to yield to a motor vehicle.
Saugerties Police included the following reminder regarding pedestrians and traffic law:
Pedestrians and motorist are obligated to lawfully share the road. As a reminder, pedestrians in the crosswalk have the right-of-way. Other than in a crosswalk, pedestrians must yield to all motor vehicles before attempting to cross any roadway. Where crosswalks exist, pedestrians are required by law to use the crosswalk. Eight pedestrians have been struck by automobiles in Saugerties this year. Pedestrian Safety will once again be a primary law enforcement priority for our agency in 2020.
This is funny considering a few of the crosswalks in Saugerties don’t work properly and people have almost been hit with the crosswalk light on. My disabled mother was almost hit in a crosswalk with the flashing light near Speedymart. And anyone that’s ever walked around here knows that the crosswalk by Price Chopper is an accident waiting to happen. When you cross there you’re taking your life into your hands because it doesn’t work. Hello, we’re all pedestrians. We don’t live in our vehicles. We have to get out and cross the street. Sometimes it’s safer to walk in the middle of the street when the only other choice is a crosswalk light that doesn’t work at a busy intersection with people that have no regard for the humans on foot. What a joke . . .
A two-pound sledge, a carpenter’s hammer or a peen hammer to carry in your hand works great at keeping traffic stopped around you. Put a front hitch on your vehicle, and see if it don’t keep drivers from turning into you? Physics.