WATERVILLE, Maine — A Waterville man was in critical condition Friday at a Portland hospital after he was struck by an SUV on College Avenue on Thursday afternoon, police said.
Jeremy Kraft, 51, was attempting to cross the road near the Getchell Street intersection when he was struck by a Jeep Patriot driven by Matthew Crate, 34, of Waterville, according to Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey.
The accident occurred around 5 p.m., Rumsey said. Crate was heading southbound on College Avenue and Kraft had taken only a couple of steps in the roadway when he was struck.
“He was thrown about 15 feet in the air,” Rumsey said.
Kraft was transported to MaineGeneral Hospital’s Thayer campus before LifeFlight airlifted him to Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to Rumsey.
Rumsey said it’s unclear whether Kraft was wearing dark clothing at the time of the accident, which remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.
The last time someone was hit on College ave,on the Fairfield side[about 2005]. The pedestrian was KILLED. He was in a crosswalk, repeat; he was in a crosswalk, but the driver was never charged. Then up in Newport in January 2005, a pedestrian walking home from work was hit and KILLED by a driver. The driver was never charged. The “suspended licensed driver” said the pedestrian was in the road.
Of course, the pedestrian could not give his side of what happen,he was being put in a body bag.
You see, the State of Maine does not like to prosecute drivers for vehicular manslaughter or any driving infraction that hurts pedestrians. , it costs over $1million dollars in court costs to prosecute such cases, so that State prefers to not bring charges.
Thank you for your comment. I completely agree. We haven’t heard anything more about the construction worker in Dixfield who was struck, have we? Or how about that mother and child in Ellsworth who was struck, in a crosswalk, by a South Carolina man?
Mr Justanotherface.. should remember, the next time he’s driving 1 mph over the speed limit, or answering his cell phone while driving, HE’s the one who should be booked.
Now that i think of it, about 2004 in Farmington, a college girl got struck while using a crosswalk. I dont believe the driver was charged in that one either. There was another pedestrian struck in Farmington about the same year, one ending a quadriplegic but i am not positive about recalling that detail accurately.
I am not going to say who, but a lawyer told me that, About Maine does not like to prosecute murders and vehicle manslaughter, as well as plea bargains everything including criminal crimes. …because it costs money.
If it is rainy out, they blame the rain. If it was night, they blame the dark,If it is daytime,they blame the sun. Drivers that hit pedestrians in this state always seem to get away scot-free from justice.
So the criminals run amuck in the state. people that use crosswalks end up in graves without justice.
You should smoke pot. It may calm your anger bursts and rants. :)
Well,Ive noticed that the pedestrian seems to have a new attitude while walking.Most dont even look up from their phones,or check to see if traffic is coming! I was taught to look both ways,and then HURRY across the street.Anyone else think that pedestrians have at least a tiny bit of responsibility for this?Driving thru a crowded parking lot is a nightmare.No one,especially younger folks,looks to see if there is any traffic anymore!!
They sure do.
My examples below we people coming home from work, one in a crosswalk. The other , a suspended license driver version of what happen was used.
If your familiar with Skow, some wise guy 20yo-somethings in pickup trucks will actually gun their engines if they see a pedestrian about to cross in crosswalk.
I hope law enforcement notes that the speed limit on that section of College Ave. is 25 mph. What do you wanna bet that the driver was the one who was breaking the rules of the road!!
Even if thats true, pedestrians have laws they need to follow as well.
I watched some jacka-s shove his girlfriend into the crosswalk, with him right behind her….crossing AGAINST the light without even stopping to look. Truck almost hits her, guy starts acting all bada-s yelling at everyone that they were in a crosswalk.
Theres a ghetto couple in Brewer/Bangor that push a stroller around. They just waltz out, kid-first. I watched them WAIT at a corner until traffic started moving…then they saunter out into the intersection crossing as slow as possible looking at everyone w/ a smug look on their face. Of course, they freak out and point at the kid when people got tired of waiting and just drove around them.
That said, there are plenty of tools that don’t give a CRAP that you are crossing _legally_ and come within inches of you without slowing down at all.
I’m curious to know how fast a vehicle would have to be traveling to throw a man 15 feet into the air.
From what I’ve seen over at liveleak it depends on how you get hit. They also don’t mention his size in the article which would also play a factor. I’ve seen people go flying from impacts of 25 MPH and I’ve seen others roll up onto the hood then right back off and walk away at higher speeds.
Sadly there are tons of videos of these incidents all over the internet.
HAHA LiveLeak. Russian dash-cams FTW!
They do provide a lot of enjoyment.
A basic question not even addressed: Was the pedestrian in a crosswalk?
The pedestrian was actually drunk staggering down the road and swayed into the street. I am assuming (but just assuming) he did not have enough sense to use a crosswalk. Sad for both parties.