BANGOR, Maine — A 57-year-old local woman seriously injured early Saturday when she was struck by a car while out on a walk near the highway overpass on Union Street has died, Bangor police Lt. Tim Reid said Sunday morning.
The pedestrian was struck about 7:45 a.m. as she attempted to cross a ramp for Interstate 95, Sgt. Ed Potter said Sunday afternoon.
“It was in a crosswalk on Union and [I-95] and the [driver] was making a turn,” Potter said.
The driver of the car was a 79-year-old female, the sergeant said.
Police are still investigating who had the right-of-way — if the driver had the light or if the pedestrian had a signal to walk — when the deadly collision took place, the sergeant said.
Police on Sunday afternoon were still working on contacting family of the Bangor woman who was killed, some who live out of state, and therefore were withholding her name until the task was completed, Potter said.
“It’s not going to be released until Monday,” the sergeant said.
The name of the driver will be released at the same time as the victim, Potter said.
“I’m not anticipating charges at this point,” Reid, the department’s lead detective, said early Sunday.
“The driver of the car also has not been identified.”
BDN, do you mean that the police have not released the driver’s name yet (like they haven’t released the decedent’s name) or that they don’t know who the driver is (i.e., the driver didn’t stop)?
Similarly, “…her name will not be releasing…” The BDN copy editor must take the weekend off (if they even have one).
they obviously don’t
Everyday is the weekend for them
If I had a dollar for every sloppy mistake I saw in the BDN,I wouldn’t have to wait for Powerball.
I would have to assume if the driver didn’t stop than the lead detective wouldn’t say that he’s not anticipating any charges against the driver
I agree, and that’s what I thought before I posted my comment. Still, I thought the writer could have made it clearer.
Read the article!!!It states the drivers name hasn’t been released my guess is because no charges have been filed and probably won’t be most of the time they don’t release a persons name unless they are charged
I read the damned article! It doesn’t say, as you say, that the driver’s name hasn’t been released. It says, “The driver of the car also has not been IDENTIFIED.” [emphasis added].
Good God you keep saying you read the article then why all the questions??? They are going to release the names on Monday. Are you stumbling on the meaning of identified? The BDN is the best paper in the state. Easy for you arm chair critics to take potshots at people actually doing the work.
They’ve updated the article throughout the day. The first version said the driver hasn’t been identified, and that was it. It was during revisions that they gave the age & sex of the driver, and said her name would be released Monday.
It was after the ORIGINAL version that bandbox commented. At the top of the article they hace the date and time of the original article, then the time of the latest revision. Might be a good idea to get in the habit of glancing at that, then how long ago a comment was posted, before blasting someone. If the two times are close, odds are the info they are asking about wasn’t in the version they read. Just an idea.
As jemileesmom has kindly pointed out, my comments all had to do with an earlier version of this aricle. That version contained an ambiguity which has been cleared up and eliminated by the revised version. Because you did not read the original article, you don’t have the slightest idea what I was commenting about and should not, therefore, get your skivies in a knot about what I wrote. The matter has been cleared up and earlier comments about the driver’s identity and releasing his/her name are moot.
:0)
Stories like this are written in the “inverted pyramid” style. This means the most important information is included at the top so the reader can get the gist of the story in the first few paragraphs. (The style is also meant to make it easier for editors short on space to just cut from the bottom without affecting the reader’s understanding of the story.)
In other words, editors don’t expect readers to read entire stories.
Nevertheless, any ambiguities — wherever they occur in the story — need to be cleared up.
It seems to me that these weekend stories are posted for speed, with no consideration for accuracy or editing. That’s not good. A copy editor needs to see a story before it’s published, regardless of whether it’s for online publication or print. Actually, two copy editors should edit all stories.
Read the article, it clearly states the driver has not been identified which most likely means not found
I thought it was ambiguous and could have been made clearer, and your patronizing answer telling me to read the article doesn’t make it any clearer.
I apologize that was not for you, it was for a comment removed. Take care
Ok, I understand and I’m sorry for my snippy response.
Its no problem at all, the article does not make sense to me in some ways, but hey its Bangor daily and there editor team
The driver DID stop and was there talking with police as I drove by!
What crosswalk did it take place in?
Parallel to Union St…she was on the onramp
Thank you.
You hit someone and you don’t stop? What is wrong with people?
No one said the driver didn’t stop. They just said they haven’t identified them. And when you translate from BDN language, that just means the police didn’t release the name of the driver yet.
I think you’re probably right. If the driver had not stopped, I’m sure the police would have said so and treated it as a possible hit and run and told the media, and that the BDN would have reported it that way.
Maine roads are a terrible place to walk. Many drivers speed up instead of slowing down when they see a pedestrian or biker.
There are few shoulders, virtually no sidewalks especially in rural areas. These conditions combined with distracted drivers allow for some very dangerous roadways for walkers.
According to this site, Maine is ranked 45th deadliest state for pedestrians. In other words, it’s the 5th safest. Maybe its a matter of perception.
http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/states/?state=me
Many drivers speed up instead of slowing down when they see a pedestrian or biker. Maybe in New York
Pedestrians are terrible period, sit in Bangor, drive around it enough and you will see the number of people who are not intelligent enough to push a button, and wait to cross a road. You will see a lot of people just walk right out in front of you without looking regardless if they are in a crosswalk or not.
I agree! I know cars need to be careful, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen pedestrians just jump out into traffic expecting everyone to come to a screeching halt for them. There are crosswalks and they are to be used. I’ve been to other cities and pedestrians don’t act like they own the road – they wait until the light blinks to cross. This is especially an issue on Broadway, where people would rather attempt to cross 4-5 lanes of traffic instead of walking up half a block to the crosswalk.
Exactly, if you see someone in Bangor yelling at a jaywalker, it might be me, I tend to yell things like “The crosswalk was 3 feet away!” or “Illiterate people shouldn’t cross alone!” Police won’t do anything about the speeding, red light pedestrian ignorance in the city, may as well yell at them when you have to lock your breaks up I don’t see this behavior much in other cities, not to say it happens but compare it to Bangor, as I said before Bangor is basically a free for all city, the law only works when it feels like it.
I would agree with you for the most part but I have seen a couple Bangor cops call people out on crosswalk violations. Each time a warning and some “education” was given, at least once I was hoping for a ticket but it wasn’t my call.
That said, with the things that are going on in this city every day and a depleted police force, I’m not surprised that their priorities are not with civil jay walking violations.
“…”Illiterate people shouldn’t cross alone!” . . . “…when you have to lock your breaks up…”
I LOL’d.
Ever hear of the law “Pedestrains Have the Right of Way”? It clashes with the law of crosswalks. People in parking lots assume the same laws apply and don’t even bother to look to see if cars are coming. Hannafords in Brewer is really bad. I see adults with kids charging out the door and don’t even look, too often.
That clause has been taken out of context, because the law actually states that pedestrians need to give right-of-way to vehicles when they are not on a marked crosswalk. The only time they have the right-of-way is when they are on a crosswalk WITHOUT a traffic-control device. But yah, I’ve seen that too, with angry pedestrians yelling “I have the right of way” when a car driving doesn’t stop for them (not on a crosswalk).
They DON’T have the right of way when they waltz out in front of you in a mark or umarked crosswalk
They DON’T have the right of way if they can’t be bothered to push a button to safely cross
I’ve almost had whiplash because I’ve started to try to drive out of the parking lot of Hannaford at the Airport Mall and people just keep walking right in front of me without even looking. The doors to the store are right up against where I’m trying to drive, and I think maybe one in 10 people actually look up to check for cars.When there’s a bus parked there too, there’s no hope!!!
Quick solution – when entering or exiting a lot, drive along the back side of the lot ratehr than right up against the store. Not always possible, but definitely so at the Airport Mall. Not only safer, but a nicer drive as well, without al lthe stress!
While i will agree wholeheartedly about the constant jaywalking that goes on, expecially downtown where so many young people think they can just leisurely walk acrossed the road with Zero crosswalk and everyone has to stop for them, I believe that those crossing Lights are absolutely USELESS. They are not nearly long enough and often only allow for one type of traffic to be stopped when others will still make right turns without even looking regardless of if the light is red and the crossing sign is lit. I have seen in downtown around the circle and many times on broadway…Its very scary out there.
That is because the city is too busy giving preference to traffic flow, the streets and their length, the number of lights in that area alone would cause some snarls I am sure if Bangor kept the pedestrian signals on longer, I agree they are not long enough downtown or in most areas. Engineering could work better to actually coordinate the signals all around to make the crossing a little bit longer, I seen people on their motorized wheel chairs barley get off the curb and not a quarter of the way through the crosswalk and the signal is already changing.
Cars must stop for people in crosswalks. it’s a law. Has been for more than 10 years. There’s quite a few around Bangor that are not at traffic lights. There are signs all over that say that. When you get beyond “downtown” there’s few “buttons” to push for a walk light.
I am well aware of that for the past 20 plus years, what I am referring to is the people who are lazy to push a button, can’t be bothered to look both ways, etc
I walk to and from work nearly every day and I try to be respectful to drivers, as I would hope they would be respectful of me. Unfortunately, when there’s a clash, its not a level playing field, which I think we all agree means drivers need to be cognizant of what their vehicle can do, even in an accident.
That is not the say that drivers are somehow always at fault. I cannot tell you how outraged I am when I see people slowly saunter through an intersection with no regard to traffic. It gives all of us pedestrians a bad name, and makes people drive more aggressively.
I’ve called a few people out on it while I’m standing there waiting my turn and they go strolling out in front of a car, but in the end, I’m not gonig to get myself stabbed trying to teach some loser some manners.
I am thankful for my right to carry a permit and bear arms, all you need to do is belch in Bangor and someone will probably stab you for it
I agree 100%. Why do they do this? I have seen this myself. Some people have told me it is my imagination. Since you have seen it to, it probably isn’t my imagination. Why would people speed up instead of slowing down when they see a pedestrian or biker? It just doesn’t make sense.
I think its because they’ve been ‘disrespected’ so many times by walkers who just walk out anywhere anytime without any care or thought for anyone else. It makes them start to hate all pedestrians.
I walk at least a couple of miles each day on city streets and try to be respectful. Yes, sometimes I find myself inadvertently in the middle of a street when the light turns green, but jeez, I try to get across ASAP, not only for my safety, but also to just be respoectfult to my fellow citizens who have places to go and things to do and who shouldn’t ahve to wait for me to leisurely saunter through an intersection against a signal!
You should have seen how negatively people responded to a comment I made about enforcing speed limits in an earlier article about cops not bothering to stop folks going 5 -10 over on the highways. With cell phones , GPS devices and other distractions , how many innocent victims have to die before the laws are enforced ?
RIP my dear friend. I will always have questions as to why but I know your in good hands.
“The driver of the car also has not been identified.” Correlates to the previous statement that the womans name has not been released
BaybieGurl70, Thank you for clearing it up.
Regardless of whether the light was green for the car or for the pedestrian, isn’t it the law in Maine that cars must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk? I’m guessing the driver most likely should not be driving. We had to take the keys away from my 82 y.o. mother, who has Alzheimer’s, and she still thinks she should be able to drive. I think after a certain age, 65 or 70 maybe, drivers should have to take a written and driving test every year to make sure they are safe to drive.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-a/title29-Asec2056.htmland take a look at
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-a/title29-Asec2057.html
Section 5 and 6
No its not the law
The link that Route11_43 posted says (in layman’s terms) the following:
You must yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, unless they are at an intersection that gives them walk, don’t walk signals. Then, they must follow those signals.
There is other stuff regarding pedestrians there too, but I was just answering your specific question.
Vehicular Manslaughter …..Unless of course the driver is ” connected ” .It is amazing how people who get run over are treated like stray cats… Baloney .. Almy… Do your job and give this person and their family justice . It is NOT an accident until the facts are available. Please release the names of those who were involved . This story is starting to stink .
chris before you throw the driver under the bus don’t you think all the FACTS should be known?
that is a bad spot to cross. i always signal the driver when i am trying to cross
79 year old driver wont be charged…no one that is elderly ever gets charged for a vehicle accident here in Maine….case in point: back a bit.. in Greenville/monson area there was the elderly guy that hit the guy walking at night, he was never charged!
People in a crosswalk ALWAYS have the right of way.
If they are at an intersection with walk/don’t walk signals, it is the pedestrian’s duty to follow those.
I myself am not familiar with where this occurred, just making a general statement about the rules.
Nope.
Maine state law on pedestrians and crosswalks.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-A/title29-Asec2056.html
4. Pedestrians in marked crosswalks. When traffic-control devices are not in operation, an operator must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing within a marked crosswalk.
[ 1999, c. 101, §1 (AMD) .]
5. Pedestrian crossing. A pedestrian must yield the right-of-way to a vehicle when crossing a way:
A. Other than within a marked crosswalk; or [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. With an available pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing. [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
let us not forget
§2056. Pedestrians
5. Pedestrians. Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal, a pedestrian facing:A. A green signal, except when the sole green signal is a turn arrow, may proceed across the way within a marked or unmarked crosswalk; [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5(AFF).]B. A steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal, may not start to cross the way, as there is insufficient time to cross before a red indication is shown; or [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]C. A steady circular red signal or a steady red arrow, may not enter the way. [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]6. Pedestrian control devices. When a pedestrian control device exhibiting the words “walk” and “don’t walk” is used, it indicates as follows.A. A pedestrian facing a “walk” signal may proceed across the way in the direction of the signal and must be given the right-of-way. [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]B. A pedestrian may not start to cross a way in the direction of a “don’t walk” signal, but a pedestrian who has partially completed crossing may proceed to a sidewalk or safety island. [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2(NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
In other words, if you don’t have a light to guide you, use the traffic signal, you won’t believe the number of fools waltzing out in front of people when they have a green turn arrow, or go against the red light and thu traffic is stopped in the middle of the intersection
It also means if you by some slim chance push the button to cross, don’t cross when it says “don’t walk” believe it or not you may be required to wait a couple of minutes to wait for the signal and the device to sync up a cycle to allow you to….(drum roll please) safely cross the road!
The pedestrian is required to allow traffic REASONABLE stopping distance.
That means, if a cehicle is only twenty feet away, hit will not be able to stop for the pedestrian.
A little common sense goes a long way.
Oops! There is the problem!
If I had a dime for every time someone said that….. but hey your statement may explain why people always get hit in the road
I am appalled that people would make such hateful statements,and point fingers at people they dont even know.The pedestrian was a warm hearted kind,caring and INTELLIGENT woman,who will be deeply missed by co workers and friends.Pleasew focus on the fact that a terrible accident took place,and a very much loved woman has died.
Thank you for this post… she was a great woman. :(
False Matt if the light is there they must use it I’m tired of people walking out in front me me because they think they do they don’t period
Had someone walk out into that same cross walk on me punch the rear fender and yell he had rights no you don’t read the law watch the lights for walk
Very sad. Condolences to her family and to the driver of the car as well. Horrible situation for both folks.
So much talk about the laws and blame being placed in people’s posts. Where the heck has good old common sense and courtesy gone? I understand the necessity for investigating if someone was responsible (which is what the police are doing), but does everything need to come to a battle of what the law is in these articles? Common sense tells me if I’m driving my car and come upon someone in the middle of the road, I should apply my brakes and stop EVEN IF I have the right of way. And if I’m crossing the street on foot and see that a car is coming through, I should probably not continue EVEN IF I have the right of way. Kind of like a local gal I know who rode her car under a tractor trailer truck because SHE had the right of way and the truck should have stopped (thank god she wasn’t hurt badly!). Good grief! Why all the accidents lately? Perhaps because people are paying more attention to the rules and laws of the road than what the heck is on the road in front of them.
Very simple don’t expect me to stop 3500 pounds before you stop 200
If you’re driving something weighing 3500 pounds, I’m guessing you leave yourself enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you for emergency stopping, but I’ll be watching you in my side mirrors just in case
If I’m coming off 95 and I have green and as I approach union you step off th e sidewalk in front of me giving me one vehicle lenth to stop it ain’t gonna happen you will lose and their will be no charges filed seen this happen many times people refuse to look because that cross walk makes them bullet proof don’t ya know
That’s exactly what I’m saying! People pay more attention to what they feel is their “legal” right of way, rather than paying attention to what’s coming or going on around them. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care if you have a red light and I have a green light, if you’re driving a large truck and I’m on my motorcycle, YOU have the right of way no matter who has the green light and no matter WHAT the law might be. That being said, if I were driving the truck and a person walked out in front of me, I sure would do my best to stop (and I’d be driving as defensively as possible to begin with). Sometimes it’s just impossible to stop. That’s why everyone (walkers, drivers and all) need to pay attention to their walking/driving.
And I think we’re driving Tonka Trucks if I’m driving something that weighs 200 pounds lol
The 200 pound reference was a generic one, pertaining to a person.
Sorry, I can’t agree with you on this. With the wife-beating, drugs, alcohol, stealing, child neglect/abuse, murders etc, I can’t ask cops to make a jay walking a priority. Yeah, sometimes people don’t stop for people in the crosswalk, sometimes even the cops don’t stop.
I see far more people marching up to crosswalks and entering the roadway without looking or trying to “make a point” by stepping out into traffic. Even when you have the right of way, it is only reasonable to give oncoming traffic an opportunity see you before stepping out. Your life depends on it.I oppose legislating personal safety. I think the cops have other things to utilizing my tax dollars on common sense stuff like this. You look before you cross, no matter what. It’s what our mothers taught us when we were three. We don’t need to put a cop on every corner to get people to educate people on this.
Perhaps if the city were to post signs stating the number of folks killed crossing the road people on foot would be more careful. I know that this would be expensive but funds from crosswalk violations could be dedicated for it or perhaps some civic organization could take this on. To reduce the risk that I kill someone crossing the street I have started to drive the speed limit and the bonus is I save fuel. This also decreases the fact that I could get sued and lose everything I worked my whole life to aquire.
ono legal lot of people weigh 200 is my point
I actually will be installing in my truck this week a go pro camera just to protect myself best two hundred plus dollars you could ever spend on amazon something stupid happens pull the SD card hand it to the cop case solved Can also be used on my snow Mobil trips atving etc
The police are under no obligation to protect your life. The phrase “to protect and serve” is a false misnomer.
They most often arrive after the fact.
First of all this person was walking HOME from her job, not just walking for the sake of walking. Secondly, why are so many people so quick to judge before all the facts are out. My prayers are to her family and friends. I also am praying for the poor soul that hit her.
I bet if the driver was in a commercial vehicle or was a young person charges woudl have already been filed..
This woman was a beautiful soul that will be missed by all that were lucky enough to have been touched by her light… God bless you Brecon, may the Good Lord hold you in his arms. :(
It’s incredible the amount of bickering that goes on in these comment sections.
Hey bdn can you correct your correction please for crying out loud you guys are suppose to be professionals proof proof proof
An earlier column listed the victim as elderly–well, 57 is not elderly!
The driver would be considered as such at 79, but even then, it could be that she is very young at that age!