BANGOR, Maine — A driver attempting to be nice stopped in traffic on Broadway Tuesday afternoon to let a local woman turn left onto Falvey Street, but what the driver didn’t know was that a third motorist was coming up from behind in the other lane.
That driver didn’t realize Agnes Whitaker, 91, of Bangor had been waved through and struck the passenger side of her 2000 Hyundai, Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards said Wednesday.
Whitaker and her passenger, Nellie Closson, 88, address unknown, were bleeding when rescue crews arrived at around 3 p.m. Both were taken to a local hospital emergency room. Closson had a head injury and Whitaker complained of arm pain, Edwards said.
Robert Valente, 47, of Bangor — who was driving a 2008 Nissan sedan into town in the right lane when Whitaker turned in front of him and was struck — was not injured in the collision. Both drivers had green lights and both cars were damaged enough that they had to be towed away.
Similar accidents, in which a driver is trying to be polite and waves a car through, are common on busy roadways such as Broadway that have four lanes, Edwards noted.
“It does happen a lot on that street,” the sergeant said.
Drivers should not assume the coast is clear even if a driver waves them through a busy intersection, Edwards said.
That driver can’t see or is not watching for traffic in the other lane, he said.
“It just doesn’t work,” Edwards said. “Don’t do it.”
The conditions of the injured women not available Wednesday.
The Waver should be charged. Misleading someone into a situation that causes personal injury and property damage is a crime. No excuse for ignorance. PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!
It is still the responsibility of the driver who violates the right of way, regardless of whether the driver was waved through. I never wave through any motorist who doesn’t have the right of way, and I never accept a wave through.
This is quite common, unfortunately; I have also had a few “close calls” at that intersection. It is almost impossible to see other driver’s approaching in the next lane. Speedy recovery, and thoughts & prayers to the ladies injured yesterday.
Change the headline, the motorist wasn’t “being polite”, he was endangering lives. My wife was hit on Broadway by someone exiting Gifford’s via a “wave through” and I’ve had 3 near misses myself at the same place. I think the person “waving” should be held at least partially at fault for these accidents.
I was hit by A guy turning from the wrong lane into Giffords. Funny thing was I The one placed at fault.
That Gifford’s parking lot on Broadway is a horrendous spot for this type of accident. I called and complained to the corporate office after my most recent near collision last summer and got no response at all.
Ya we both has the same insurance company and the other guy was a former cop and had full coverage. I guess its a fight I could not win The insurance company did not want to pay for 2 cars.
The same thing happened to me. Hit in an intersection. On Broadway! A “witness” (probably the guy who waved the other guy through), gave an “unfavorable” statement towards me. They probably felt bad because the person waved through was a very elderly gentleman and they needed to blame someone other than themselves or the older man. And the light was also green and I was driving slow. I was places at 35% fault…like I could avoid it??? Even if I didn’t plan on going through the intersection but wanted to turn right instead, I still would have been hit.
Ice cream was not a factor in the accident.
They are obstructing traffic behind them by stopping when they have the right of way. Super stupid.
When people do that they interfere with the legal flow of traffic. I had a friend get hit on his motorcycle and lose a leg because someone was being “polite” and waved someone through and into him.
I hate seeing people do that. I finally got my husband to stop it by explaining that in the end, all it does is add to the confusion. On top of that, I’ve seen little kids get waved through on a crosswalk when another car was zooming up the other lane.
Some people think that having the right of way means they’re in control and can do whatever they want. Accidents are avoided when everyone knows what the protocol is and who’s turn it is to go next. That’s why the rules of the road are in place. When the person who has the right of way thinks that means they’re in charge and can change the rules it becomes a free-for-all. “Oh no, you go in front of me.” Uh huh. How about if I just wave you to your death?
If I ever have the gall to wave someone through, I make sure that I look and see there is no one else coming first and it’s truly clear! And if someone is waving me through, chances are I won’t go, at least not without making sure the other lanes are also clear!
People don’t pay enough attention. This happening is exactly why I don’t trust the “wave through”, and this is actually the first time I’ve heard of such a case! Not surprised.
Another “good samaritan” crash.
Don’t they teach ANYTHING in drivers ed these days?
I’d be willing to bet when this 91 year old lady got her license there wasn’t any such thing as driver ed.
Here is the thing, you can be a poor driver at any age.
If, as a society we are truly interested in road safety, we need to retest after the initial license.
Why not do it on a periodic schedule that is easy to remember: ten year anniversaries from your very first license?
Thus, start at age 16 for example. Then, at age 26 you get another written, vision, and road test.
Same at ages 36, 46, 56, 66, 76, 86, 96, 106, etc. You fail, you have 30 days to study up, get retrained, get new eyeglasses so you might pass again.
People can be a menace on the road at any age: drinking problems, arrogance, inexperience, simple lack of knowledge.
Expensive, you say? Factor the cost of hospital bills, rehab, police, ambulance, fire, road workers, etc. Not to mention deaths. What is THAT cost?
Within a generation or two, the culture behind the wheel would change, and people would stop thinking they could drive * just fine after a few drinks…* and other poor presumptions.
If we are truly serious about road safety….
Yeah and who pays for that??
“..Yeah and who pays for that??…”
Well, we all pay, one way or another, either in cash or in bodies.
Me, I would rather pay in cash and have my loved ones around.
You?
I’ll keep the cash. Don’t like my family THAT much
I was refering to the rocket scientist that stopped traffic to “help” this lady get T boned.
The 91 year-old wasn’t the one “giving the wave” – who was really the cause of the accident.
A polite gesture does not pay off, I NEVER I don’t care how clear it is or how angry you might get “wave you in” across more then one lane on any road. The rules of the road are simple, turn when it is clear (I understand in other situations most drivers don’t do this anyways) but simply put, if you wave me in across multiple lanes, I keep waving for you to keep going. It’s too bad some people actually have to wait to turn or pull out of a business. I have had some close calls with these waves by other motorists, I am to the point where I need to drive around with multiple copies of the motorist handbook from the DMV office and hand it out to people who can’t obey the rules of the road.
I turn my head and stop making eye contact so they’ll get the point I’m not going to accept their gesture.
This can happen with young kids as well, when they try to cross the street. Young kids trust that when adult waves them to cross that it is safe……add the fact that kids almost always run when crossing the street makes it a worse combination.
Sad story in another town, where I grew up recently. There was a policeman at the scene of an earlier accident on a 4 lane road. An 11 y/o boy excited to walk to his friend’s house for the first time alone, came to the road and decided to cross not in the crosswalk, but between two cars maybe because of the accident (who knows). I guess the boy caught the policeman’s eye, and he put his hand up, and he thinks he may have moved his hand a little that the boy may have thought was a wave (he is broken up about this–trying to remember exactly what he did). The boy started to cross the road and was hit and killed.
Ah the parent on one side, the kid on the other, and you in the middle unable to hear the parent or figure out who is going to win?
waving on a 4-lane highway is nice, but totally dangerous. Don’t do it. The hubby and I and dog almost got mowed down walking our local bike path this week. People are supposed to stop and it’s clearly marked. I don’t want to blame it on a cell phone though I suspect that……all I know is that there were screeching tires involved. Pay freakin attention people. 88 years old and driving on Broadway? Kudos to her for still driving.
two dog walkers one on each side of street….dogs see each other and enter lanes. Do I slow down and see if owners reel them in; or proceed carefully past them and blow my horn rapidly? or ????
I was driving through Broadway shortly after the accident happened. It was a pretty ugly crash.
I absolutely cannot stand people that wave me in. Especially when they get upset that I’m not paying attention to them but instead trying to abide the laws of right of way.
The worst is a four way stop when you and the person to the right arrive at the intersection at the same time and the other driver waves at you frantically and upset. It’s like dude, you need to go first.
Exactly. Turn your head so they get the point.
And if you don’t heed their wave; then who does what? Do they keep waving, turn or go ahead. A stalemate? or you both turn into each other…ARGGGGH.
Not heeding their wave should tell them you’re following the rules and they should, too.
I am responsible for one vehicle…the one I am driving.
This happened to me years back on Union Street – I was the car approaching in the opposing lane. The driver who pulled out in front of me told the people who waved her through that they could leave not knowing they could be held partially liable in that instance. I make it a habit to never wave anyone unless I am on a two-lane (or less) road and am absolutely sure it’s clear to go. I try to be a courteous driver but it’s not worth the risk of someone getting hurt.
and again
stutter
Best just to follow the rules of the road and traffic signs and signals when there’s other traffic around.
It is annoying anywhere when a car stops in the middle of the block to let someone out, meanwhile causing everyone BEHIND them to stop too. Why do people feel it’s ok to put THEIR agenda on everyone else.
You mean like Massholes who park illegally in Freeport while their companions do a quick shop? Doncha want to hit them just a bit?
I didn’t mean letting passengers out.. I meant letting another vehicle turn out….. But what you mentioned sucks too.
Its never “polite” to take it upon yourself to change the rules of the road!
Exact same thing happened to be on Main St. Bgr. Young woman pulling out of the Irving by 395 turning left towards Hollywood Casino. Lady waved her out into traffic and right into my truck. It was deemed 100 percent the fault of the driver who struck me. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Broadway on any afternoon is like playing “Frogger” in real time. Too much traffic, too little patience, and frequent speeding are all recipes for an accident. At least with Frogger you got three lives.
Even when I know for sure the other lane is clear, I don’t go. This pi$$e$ me off to no end. If I don’t have the right-of-way, I don’t go, regardless of who is being “polite.”
could she not see the other car approaching? if someone waves me through and i see another car coming I have the sense not to pull out in front of it.
You must have xray vision to see through an entire lane of traffic.
unless there is a wall dividing the 4 lanes you dont need xray vision. I can see 4 lanes of traffic just fine.
And do you know what all the drivers are doing/thinking too? Could someone pull out to go around, realizing they want to go straight through the light?
Aren’t you special.
If you are turning left without a green arrow, you NEVER have the right of way! I can’t count the times I’ve angered people by refusing to turn left in front of them AND the lane next to them that is still speeding by at 40 mph and obscured from my view by the person trying to be “polite”. A major pet peeve of mine.
How do you turn into the Hannaford parking plaza on Union Street then? There us no arrow to get in there when turning left. A green light, YOU DO have the yielding right away, with caution of course.
“Yield” means you don’t have the right of way.
New rule: Give the waver a finger wave back and just sit where you are until they move on.
been there done that. felt good too.
Anyone who has driven on Broadway knows it is a h*ll hole to drive through anyways. The timing of the lights is pitiful and the turning arrows only allow enough time for 1 maybe 2 cars to turn.
The person doing the wave through is just one of many people on the road. They may have stopped to let you turn, but that does not mean everyone else has stopped, or will stop. I almost was in an accident like this. Now I dont automatically make that turn, or pull out.
Sometimes it is give and take on the highways….I’ve been “polite” at times and have had others do the same for me, but I am always looking around the good samaritan for things just like this…I really don’t try to be so nice anymore, it’s not due to giving someone a break, but it is usually the 3 or 4 other cars behind the one you are giving the “wave thru” to that try to take advantage of the free pass and push themselves out right behind each other….the safest practice seems to be just wait your turn and go when traffic is clear……
the person who waves are libel and can now be sued
The only time I wave someone in is if I’m stopped in traffic, at a light, and will leave enough room for a person to pull out from a parking lot.
I absolutely hate it when someone stops, and lets someone in, interfering with the flow of traffic. I had it happen on Route 1 in Warren, for heaven’s sake. One car in front of me, no one behind me, and the lady slammed on her brakes to stop and let someone out of their driveway. Bonehead move!
Follow the rules of the road, turn only when the traffic is clear, and don’t think you’re doing anyone any favors by being “polite” and waving someone to turn.
In Army driving school we where trained to ignore wave through’s for this very reason.
I used to encourage my turret gunner to get me the right of way…
5 points for each “crunchy” you get.
GUN it and run it !!
Good intentions, bad idea. I don’t wave people though, and I do not like it when others try to do the same for me or for someone else. It only messes up traffic even worse. Just obey the traffic laws, people!
Survey says…….NO WAVE THROUGHS!!
The waver is at fault here as well as the wavee. Why people feel its necessary to ignore driver safety so they can continue thru thier day feeling they did a good deed is beyond me. I see it all the time and when practiced in the same intersection regularly, that intersection evolves its own set of rules that may be known to the locals but become dangerous as well as inconvienient to the very person you think your doing a good deed. A couple of these for example would be the intersection at the bottom of winthrop st in Hallowell and the intersection of the Collin Mill rd. with the Hallowell Litchfield Rd.
In Hallowell, alot of folks coming down from Augusta think it so kind to stop everyone behind them to be kind to a car or two at the stop sign. In effect they’ve inconvienienced everyone behind them for the sake of thier own smugness, and trained many drivers coming down winthrop st to totally ignore the fact that thiers a STOP sign there and they just automatically roll thru it cutting off cars that were not so kind in front of them or blinding the view of a driver taking a left at the intersection by inventing a second lane of travel by pulling up along side him.
The Collin mill intersection is somewhat understanding but dispite the slight offset of this 4-way intersection, the person coming from 4-corners has the right of way to turn right or go straight, ahead of a person coming from the Collin mill side who is turning left. More often than not, drivers coming from 4-corners will wave the Collin mill side to turn first, apparantly so they avoid having to stay in thier own lane when driving across to the otherside is all I can figure.
I think it would be wise that drivers pay attention to the laws of the road and take thier right of way in thier own turn.
A wave through on Hancock Street a few years ago resulting in a child being hit by a car.
People have waived me through an intersection near my home so many times and I will refuse to go because, more often than not, I can’t see if there are cars coming up the hill in the other oncoming lane. Hopefully both victims make a quick recovery and aren’t too shaken up and, more importantly, hopefully they don’t take a waver’s gesture for granted anymore.
Taking a left onto Windham Center Road from Corsetti’s parking lot is hazardous just by design, and some people do try to wave you through. I never accept the offer. I do think people who do that are trying to be courteous, not deliberately trying to cause an accident. I still will wave/yield to a vehicle with a left turn signal on who arrived at the intersection before me (with me going straight across) as the intersection of Albion and 302; that’s about the only place where the visibility for both drivers is equal and adequate. Most of the time, though, that intersection is busy and dangerous–they need a light there for peak traffic hours.
I know someone who had their truck and the offender’s car both totalled from someone waving the pickup truck through a stopped line of traffic to enter a driveway while someone else coming into town saw the stopped line of traffic and took their unfortunate opportunity to whiz by on the shoulder to turn right at the light ahead and t-boned said pickup. That driver went to the hospital and was cited, just a really bad day.
People should just drive or get out and try to direct traffic, not both.
Should never wave people through. I had the same thing happen to me. A guy waved me through and a car speeding where they shouldn’t have been cut right in front of me.
No good deed goes unpunished.
This is a big problem in Maine. I’m out on the road every day and people are always trying to think for me. I appreciate the attempt at courtesy but things work much smoother and safer if you just do what you are supposed to do. Getting someone seriously injured to save a few seconds at an intersection is stupid.
Every once in a while, you can go through these comments and actually learn something. This story has led me to that very thing. I am one of the guilty, one of the people who is a notorious “Waver”. I was brought up to be polite and i get upset when i get stuck trying to make a left hand turn into a section with no light and seem to sit forever, that when the opportunity for me to wave someone out of the same situation comes up, i try and be polite. Never before, did i actually stop to think of the danger i was putting not only that driver, but also those behind me, in. I honestly thought that i should be commended for being polite. Thank you all for giving me a better understanding of why it is so dangerous and though a gracious thought, far too dangerous to take. I will adjust my driving accordingly.
Since this subject has been brought up, i am curious how many of you have this situation take place. Often when i come out of Dunkin Donuts after getting my coffee on Broadway i go left. Most of you know that on a busy day you can sit there a long time trying to go left. I seem to run into a lot of drivers that just dont want to let anyone out because they will actually SPEED up, over the limit to make sure i dont have a clear path into the road…I understand we all have busy lives, but isnt part of defensive driving to follow the speed limit and even slow down a little if you can see someone is trying to get out into traffic ahead of you? Maybe i am wrong here too but i am curious your thoughts on this…Thanks.
Your desire to be courteous is laudable, however when you do something that other drivers are not expecting(by not following the rules of the road) you are increasing the risk of injury to yourself or others unnecessarily. The rule(and State law) requires a driver entering a public way to yield to oncoming traffic until the way is clear before proceeding. Making a lefthand turn means that the entering driver must verify that *two or more* lanes are clear. Probably the best advice was that offered by the Bangor city engineer prior to Christmastime last year – plan your route to minimize lefthand turns on crowded streets such as Stillwater, Hogan Road, and Broadway. That practice minimizes the time spent waiting to enter a street from a private way and minimizes risk to you and others because if you’re negotiating a righthand turn you only need to wait for one lane of traffic to clear before proceeding.
On a related note, when I’m waiting in line for a stoplight to change and traffic is backed up I will *never* wave a driver who is waiting to make a lefthand turn onto an intersecting street through, but rather stop my vehicle so as not to block the intersection(thus allowing the other driver to proceed cautiously to make his lefthand turn after he verifies that all oncoming lanes are clear). This practice also makes it easier for police/fire/EMS vehicles to navigate the intersection that I’m not blocking.
Maybe you don’t have many big city drivers who when they see an opening, fill it up regardless of the rules of the road? Maybe a ‘welcome to Maine, the civil driving state’ w/ a photo of a senior waving through a driver making a left turn on a busy street?
my sons truck was totaled due to this very act. someone waved a car out of a dealership on hogan rd and both didnt look to see that someone, my son, was driving in the other lane. The driver hit him so hard that it turned his truck in the oppposite direction he was traveling. The driver of that car had no insurance and we had to bear the expense of EVERYTHING. The driver who “waved” the person out took off after it happened, too bad, I could have possibly been somewhat reimbursed , by law they are resposisble because it is illeagal to do this. I know its a nce thing to but can also be very dangerous.
You are correct, in my state, the person waving the person to turn can be held 50% responsible for the liability in damages and injury. This is one situation where it does not pay to be nice.
Finally an article reminding people to follow the law and not being so damn polite. I recall several occasions where a car in front of me would stop to let someone turn. I appreciate folks being polite but when it can get you killed, it’s just plain stupidity. Had I not been paying close attention to driving, I would have rearended the “polite” person sending them and me to the hospital. Another occasion involved someone waiting to cross the road at an unmarked crossing. The driver in front of me, stopped in the middle of a heavily travelled road, motioned the person, clearly safe and waiting for traffic to clear, to cross the road. This put the pedestrian, cars approaching, me, and cars behind me in a serious situation. The driver who was “being polite” of course would have been rearended buy me. Fortunately we all made it through without further incident. Please people, unless its matter of emergency where a pedestrian or another driver in danger, be polite in other areas of your life.
And how much stopping distance did you have? Was there enough space to stop regardless of why the driver in front of you stopped?
….a pet peeve are people on cell phones who sit on your tail; no make that , become your ‘tail’.
There was no crash so obviously I had enough stopping distance. Been driving a long time with no accidents. No cell phone involved on anyone’s part. My pet peeve is people who try to be so nice and get other folks hurt or worse.
I live on Falvey Street and saw the aftermath of this accident. The poor woman who got waved through couldn’t have seen the truck coming, because during afternoon traffic, you can never see what’s coming down Broadway at that intersection. AND the dumb person who waved her thru and witnessed the accident sped away!!! That person should be held accountable for this accident, they not only endangered the life of another person, they obviously didn’t check the other lane for traffic. THINK OF OTHERS BEFORE YOU MAKE STUPID DECISIONS!!
Happens a lot in my mid-coast town, esp. where bikes and people OUTSIDE of crosswalks are concerned. Having to watch what some dear soul is doing in the car ahead of me or on the other side of the street does add one more distraction to driving in traffic. I do the civil and courteous thing myself, and am well aware that the vehicles around me usually can’t see my hand signals or make eye contact.
I had a school bus driver way me on the other day. had I pulled out, I’d have been hit by a SUV coming up behind her. You’d think a professional driver would have known better.
The wave simply indicates that the driver is letting you in, not that everything is safe in all directions. Instead of snarling traffic and risking my life, I would have taken the right and gone with traffic. I would have turned around somewhere less congested down the road at a parking lot or someplace I can access easily via a stop lighted intersection, etc
when letting a driver cut in front of you, be sure to make sure your car is positioned so as other cars cannot get around you. if you can’t do that, you and the potential beneficiary of your benevolence are not safe.
Recently I had someone wave me through to turn left in front of them. They seemed visibly upset I did not take them up on the offer, however cars continued to pass them in the right lane. Just don’t do it when the turning driver would need to cross multiple lanes.
Every City Engineer in America has the same problem: TOO MANY CURB CUTS. When we were kids(60s)we road our bikes to McDonalds.Try that today! Broadway was not built for the cuts and traffic that go through there every day. Whether you are 30 or 90 that’s tough driving.
I consider the ‘polite’ wave through’, such as these precious cargo experienced, an invitation to get creamed – especially on Broadway. No, thank you.
By the description, the guy who hit them was likely going too fast toward the light, as that left turn onto Falvey has it’s own lane, which oncoming drivers are directed not to block in heavy traffic.
These girls were in the midst of turning when they were hit – on the passenger side, obviously.
Hope they are both OK.