ID Released Of Man Killed After Getting Hit By Motorcycle: Stamford PD

STAMFORD, CT — Police have released the identity of the pedestrian who was killed Wednesday night after getting hit by a motorcycle in Stamford.

Gene Lepre, 84, of Stamford, was walking westbound across Courtland Avenue just south of Seaton Road just after 7 p.m., Wednesday when he was struck by a motorcycle driven by 18-year-old Stamford resident Anthony Lowe, police said an initial investigation showed. The motorcycle was traveling northbound on Courtland Avenue.

Lepre suffered serious injuries and was taken to Stamford Hospital, where he died a short time later, police said. Lowe was also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No charges have been filed at this time, police said Thursday afternoon. An investigation remains ongoing; anyone with information on the collision is asked to call to SPD's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad at 203-977-4712.

This latest pedestrian collision comes on the heels of Stamford launching a Vision Zero initiative to increase roadway safety.

Mayor Caroline Simmons signed an executive order last week to begin the campaign, which has a goal of eliminating fatalities and severe injuries on Stamford's roadways by 2032.

Acting Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare for Stamford, Lou DeRubeis, said at the executive order signing that from Jan. 1, 2017, through Aug, 31, 2022, there have been 22,622 total crashes reported within Stamford, with 459 involving a pedestrian.

In 2021, Stamford averaged seven pedestrian crashes per month. With Wednesday's fatality, there have now been five fatal crashes in 2022, with three involving pedestrians. This is the highest number of fatal crashes since 2017.

"We have to do better. Everyone deserves to be safe when they're walking, biking or driving in our city," Simmons said last week. "Each year in the US, tens of thousands of people are killed and millions more injured in preventable traffic crashes. These are our friends, family members, colleagues and neighbors. We can prevent these tragedies with proven measures to reduce the number of crashes in our streets with data-backed roadway engineering, enforcement and education. "

The first objective in the initiative is to establish a task force which will be made up of technical advisors, transportation and engineering officials, as well as public safety officials and community advocates. The group is expected to be formed over the coming weeks.

Vision Zero was first implemented in Sweden in the 1990's, and it swept across Europe and is now a popular strategy in major American cities.

Read more about Stamford's Vision Zero initiative