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Crime & Safety

Another Pedestrian Struck At Busy Intersection

Police urge pedestrians and drivers to be more attentive of their surroundings as the number of accidents in 2012 continue to climb.

A seventy-year old woman was struck by a vehicle on Tuesday as she attempted to cross Fletcher Avenue towards the Linwood Plaza Mall in Fort Lee at approximately 8:37a.m., Tuesday.

Kyong Clark, a Fort Lee resident, was walking within the marked crosswalk when 42-year old Peter Gallo from Englewood Cliffs hit her as he was making the left turn out of the plaza onto Fletcher Avenue heading north. According to the police report, Gallo did not see Clark. 

Fort Lee Police Capt. Roy Bortolus said it was the second accident at the same intersection in a week, making it the fourth pedestrian accidently struck in the Borough since February.

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“There’s a light there and a ‘Don’t Walk’ [pedestrian] sign with the count down numbers, but sometimes people turning don’t pay attention to that,” said Bortolus. “They [drivers] just know they have a green light.”

In February,  when she was hit by an SUV backing out of a driveway on Edwin Avenue. Just a day before, another  suffered after getting hit by a car while crossing Lemoine Avenue at Whiteman Street.   

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Although Clark did not suffer life threatening injuries, she complained of pain to her pelvic area, abdomen, and left elbow, according to the police report. She was transported to Englewood Hospital by Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

No summonses were issued as of publication.

In light of recent accidents, authorities are stepping up their pedestrian detail by issuing summonses to jay walkers and other pedestrians crossing against traffic lights. They also have a decoy program where police officers in plain clothing will act as pedestrians at certain intersections.

“When people [drivers] don’t stop for the person in the crosswalk they get pulled over up the block and they issued summonses,” Bortolus explained.

In March, Police Chief Thomas Ripoli  in hopes of reducing the number of accidents. 

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