A driver has been charged after hitting a pedestrian on a major Chapel Hill street last week.
Police said on Monday that 20-year-old Terry Tyrone Green has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Officers responded to the pedestrian crosswalk on East Franklin Street between Estes Drive and Elliot Road around noon last Wednesday.
A 19-year-old female had been struck and was treated at the scene before being transported to UNC Hospitals for further treatment of injuries described as serious but not life threatening. The victim has since returned home and is recovering, according to police.
“This crash is a very serious reminder that we all need to do our part to take care of the people around us,” Chapel Hill Police Captain Donnie Rhoads, the Town’s bicycle and pedestrian champion, said in Monday’s release. “There are many distractions for people driving, people walking, people riding, and people rolling, and limiting those distractions is in everyone’s best interest. Community safety is a shared responsibility.”
The crash and subsequent investigation forced eastbound lanes of Franklin Street to be closed for more than an hour Wednesday.
People just jump out and start walking without even looking left or right. They are on their phones while crossing. It’s better to have red lights than these stupid cross walks that you just press a button and keep walking.
The whole Fordham Blvd is an accident waiting to happen. People text and drive, accelerate way too fast in heavy traffic, drive too fast for the conditions, and the pedestrians are clueless in the way they cross the streets, not to mention dangerous bikers. It’s on everyone’s shoulders. The police patrol that road more heavily as it turns into 54W toward Carrboro, however Chapel Hill police need to just be sitting out there during heavy traffic times. They are there, but not nearly as well seen as Carrboro police. They are always handing out tickets for speeding. We need to see more of it down toward the Estes Rd area because people don’t follow the law and they end up getting hurt.
I concur with both Drew and smb above. Pedestrians need to be focused at all crossings. Also, almost none make eye contact with drivers.
Bicycles are classified as motor vehicles and need to be held accountable to rules of the road. Same for e-scooters. Skate boarders are also careless. Once upon a time in 70s into 80s bicycles banned from sidewalks downtown. When did that enforcement end. Now, with more esrablishments using bistro seating, there’s less room. Put bicycles on streets where they belong.
Red light running happens every intersection all day long.
As smb notes, there seems to be virtually no traffic law enforcement on our main town arteries and, I can tell you none in neighborhoods. WTF,O?
That’s some serious victim-blaming in the post above. I’d expect better from a Town appointee serving on the Transportation & Connectivity Advisory Board
If you step into vehicle traffic without first looking to see whether traffic is coming, YOU have not behaved in a responsible manner.
Pedestrians have a duty to look before they step into traffic. This is not remotely victim-blaming. It’s BASIC ADULT BEHAVIOR.