SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY- Newsday.com reports that a driver struck a pedestrian in Huntington Station on New York Avenue on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The driver was operating a pickup truck at the time of the crash. The victim was identified as a 27-year-old man. The pedestrian was walking west and crossing New York Avenue at […]
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY- Newsday.com reports that a driver struck a pedestrian in Huntington Station on New York Avenue on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The driver was operating a pickup truck at the time of the crash.
The victim was identified as a 27-year-old man. The pedestrian was walking west and crossing New York Avenue at around 6:30 in the morning when he was hit by a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck. Police stated that the crash took place approximately 30 feet away from Pulaski Road.
The victim was transported to the Stony Brook University Hospital via airlift where he was treated for a severe leg injury. The vehicle also hit a second pedestrian, 40-year-old Jose Martinez, but Martinez did not sustain injuries.
The driver was identified as 31-year-old Patrick Anderson of Huntington Station. Anderson did not sustain any injuries and remained at the scene for the investigation.
Fatal pedestrian accidents have been increasing across the United States. One major contributing factor to the spike in pedestrian deaths is America’s love of big vehicles. Crashes involving large SUVs are causing a growing number of pedestrian deaths.
SUVs, in particular, are higher from the ground and have flatter front ends than cars. The result is that pedestrians are struck by a blunt surface that is more likely to strike them in their head or chest. As car sales dwindle and SUVs take up more of the market share, the problem will likely only get worse. For instance, Ford Motors will be pulling most of its car models from the market by 2020. Smaller vehicles are not selling as well as larger ones, and this could be bad news for pedestrians across the United States.
