SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. - As more people venture outside amid warm spring weather, pedestrian safety continues to be a major issue for local towns as they aim for fewer crashes in 2025.
What You Need To Know
- Local towns are continuing to try to limit pedestrian crashes in the region as warm weather arrives
- On Monday morning, a nine-year-old boy in Southbridge was struck by a driver in a pickup truck
- The boy is currently recovering from non-life threatening injuries
- In Worcester, the Vision Zero Safety Action Plan is expected to be released sometime this spring
On Monday morning, a nine-year-old boy in Southbridge was struck by a driver in a pickup truck while pausing to tie his shoe on the way to school. He suffered significant injuries to his leg, and is currently recovering.
In Pittsfield, a pedestrian walking on Barker Road was struck by a driver and transported to the hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries on Monday.
According to WalkMassachusetts’ latest ‘Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA’ report, of the 369 total traffic deaths in the state last year, 78 were pedestrians.
Lieutenant Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department said educating the public has always been a top priority in efforts to prevent these incidents.
“There’s an education campaign that’s been continuing, both for drivers and people on foot,” Murtha said. “For drivers, it’s distracted driving. Speed and distracted driving are two of the things that can cause these tragedies.”
Communities have employed a variety of strategies to curb pedestrian crashes, from Shrewsbury cracking down on distracted driving with plain-clothes officers at some intersections to a failed ordinance in Pittsfield which would’ve banned people from getting within five feet of a vehicle with the intent to obstruct or hinder it.
In Worcester, a final version of the Vision Zero Safety Action Plan aimed at eliminating fatalities or serious injuries on roadways is expected sometime this spring.
At the start of the year, city-wide 25 miles per hour speed limit signs began rolling out.
“I think people are slowing down a little bit from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t been a dramatic change, but this is a priority for city government and I know they’re looking into various ways to set the streets up safer,” Murtha said.
The Southbridge Police Department’s traffic officer is investigating Monday’s incident along with the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Collision Reconstruction Team.
In Pittsfield, police ask anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Officer Anthony Dayton of the Pittsfield Police Department at 413-448-9700 ext 543.
