[Njagdu] Two disabled pedestrians hit by cars in Morristown; third incident in two weeks

[Ginger Kutsch]

Two disabled pedestrians hit by cars in Morristown; third incident in two
weeks

December 4, 2015 by Kevin Coughlin Leave a Comment 

By Kevin Coughlin

Source:
http://morristowngreen.com/2015/12/04/two-disabled-pedestrians-hit-by-cars-i
n-morristown-third-incident-in-two-weeks/

 

In separate Morristown incidents, motorists struck a blind woman walking
with her guide dog, and a wheelchair-bound woman in a crosswalk.

 

At least three pedestrians have been hit since Nov. 19, 2015.

 

stop for crosswalks yield"If people didn't start beeping to get [the
driver's] attention, it would have been all over for me," said Marilyn
Rodda, who sustained six broken ribs after being struck on a  sidewalk by a
man backing his Honda CRV from a driveway at 43 Pine St. last Saturday
morning.

 

Rodda, who is blind, said she was walking home from some shopping and
extended the stroll to give Izzie, her Seeing Eye dog, extra exercise on a
nice day.

 

They were partially beyond the driveway, and the dog was focusing ahead of
them, Rodda said. The car backed out behind them.

 

"It knocked me to the ground, almost under the car. The tire was pushing
against my ribs," she said.  If other motorists had not honked to alert the
driver, she said, he might have continued when there was a gap in traffic,
and run her over.

 

Police charged Rosel Martinez-Gonzalez, 25, of Morristown, with careless
driving. He told police that he did not see Rodda as he was backing from the
driveway, just before 11 am.

 

Rodda, a retired technician from Morristown Medical Center, spent the
weekend there. Her injuries included scrapes on her arm, hands and knees.

 

The Seeing Eye is looking after Izzie for now, and will evaluate whether the
black Labrador retriever, who turns 9 next month, is too traumatized for
service.

 

Jim Kutsch, president and CEO of the Seeing Eye Inc. in Morris Township,
said confidentiality rules prevented him from discussing specific clients or
incidents.

 

Generally, however, he explained that even when guide dogs are not
physically injured, they may feel responsible when something bad befalls
their masters.

 

In such cases, Kutsch said, Seeing Eye instructors will take the dog around
town to see how it behaves around cars.

 

"Guide dogs must have a respect for traffic. But they can't be afraid of
traffic," he said. "We must make sure the dog and the person are safe."

 

A day earlier, on Black Friday afternoon, Flora Walton of Morristown was
navigating her motorized wheelchair through the crosswalk at Hazel Street
when she was struck by a Plymouth turning right from Martin Luther King
Avenue.

 

Walton complained of pain to her right leg, according to Police Officer
Robert Iozzia, who investigated both accidents.

 

The Morristown Ambulance Squad and Morristown Fire Department helped lift
the victim, 61, onto a bariatric ambulance sent from St. Clares Hospital to
transport her to Morristown Medical Center.

 

Albert Rainey, 23, of Morristown, was issued a summons for failing to yield
to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.

 

Rainey told police that his head was down, not looking in the direction he
was driving, as he made the turn, according to police.

 

Attempts to reach Walton for comment were unsuccessful.

 

On the rainy evening of Nov. 19, shortly after 6 o'clock, a 39-year-old
Hillsborough man was struck crossing Franklin Street by an Acura driven by
30-year-old East Hanover woman, who made a left turn from Elm Street.

 

The victim was taken to the hospital; police said his injuries were not
considered life-threatening.

 

On a Sunday afternoon in August, a 43-year-old Morristown man bicycling in a
crosswalk at Ann Street was struck by a Hyundai Elantra, driven by a
63-year-old Morristown woman heading towards Western Avenue.

 

The cyclist complained of  "minor leg pain" and was taken to the hospital
police reported.

 

Police announced efforts to step up crosswalk enforcement in March 2014, in
response to nearly 50 accidents involving motorists and pedestrians
stretching back to January 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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