5 Weeks, 4 Pedestrian Deaths On Route 9: Can They Be Prevented?

HOWELL, NJ — "Hey! Don't be an invisible pedestrian! If you're going out, wear light-colored clothing, use reflectors or carry a flashlight. Make sure drivers see you. Let's keep the holiday season merry AND BRIGHT!"

The Monmouth County prosecutor's office posted that message on Facebook Friday afternoon, meant as a reminder to residents to be careful as they come and go. Six days earlier, authorities had responded to yet another fatal pedestrian accident where a man was struck and killed while crossing Route 9 after dark.

Two days later, they were dealing with yet another fatality.

When Isidro Martinez-Mendez, 51, of Lakewood, died Sunday evening, he was crossing Route 9. In the dark. In an area with no crosswalk, authorities have said. His death was the second fatal accident involving a pedestrian on Route 9 in just over a week and fourth on Route 9 in just over a month. The other three:

• On Nov. 5, Lydia O. Lim, 70, of Long Island City, NY, was killed while crossing Route 9 in Freehold Township. She was hit in the southbound left lane by a 2011 Mercedes Benz C300 at 5:52 p.m., Gramiccioni said.
• On Nov. 15, Marie R. Casalino, 67, of Freehold Township, died after being hit by Jeep Wrangler Sahara as she crossed Route 9 near Freehold Mall shortly after 9 p.m., Gramiccioni said.
• On Dec. 2, Juan Santiago Lopez, 53, of Freehold, was killed as he crossed Route 9 near New Friendship Road about 12:30 a.m., Gramiccioni said.

In total, there have been 12 pedestrian fatalities in Monmouth County in 2017, accounting for more than a quarter of the 43 traffic deaths in the county this year, according to New Jersey State Police statistics. That's two more than happened in Monmouth County in 2016. The four Route 9 fatalities are among nine combined traffic deaths in Freehold and Howell this year.

What can be done to prevent them? That's a tricky question.

All four fatal accidents happened after dark, and in stretches of the road that are not well-lit — which can hinder even the most attentive driver's ability to see a pedestrian. In the case of Santiago Lopez, charges of driving while under the influence have been filed against Juanean Perez, 21, of Jackson, the driver of the car who hit him, Gramiccioni has said.

In the case of Martinez-Mendez, who was hit a quarter-mile south of Alexander Avenue, the nearest intersection with a crosswalk is at Kennedy Boulevard in Lakewood, a half-mile or so south of where he was hit. There is no crosswalk at Alexander. There also is no so-called "Jersey" barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes in that section, so there is nothing to discourage people from crossing the four lanes.

In both Freehold Township accidents, the women were in or near a crosswalk, Gramiccioni said Monday. In both Howell deaths, however, the men were crossing illegally, Howell Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick Jr. said.

"Pedestrians need to abide by the same rules of the roads as drivers," Kudrick said. "I consistently see pedestrians jumping the barriers and improperly crossing against the signal and travel lanes."

It's not only a problem along Route 9 in Monmouth County. In Ocean County, there have been 8 pedestrian deaths this year, including Irene D. Perosi, 53, of Lakewood, who was struck and killed Dec. 5 while crossing Shorrock Street, which runs along the Brick Township border near the senior communities of Leisure Village East and Four Seasons in Lakewood. She was not in a crosswalk, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. There were 8 pedestrian deaths in Ocean County in 2016 as well, State Police statistics show.

Ironically, Perosi died the day after Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato announced the county'straffic safety crackdown in Lakewood, which was prompted by a spike in traffic fatalities in the township this year; 13 people have died, including Perosi, according to New Jersey State Police.

"The one common factor is folks not using crosswalks and not observing traffic signals," Della Fave said. In almost every pedestrian fatal in Ocean County, "drivers say they never saw the person; they just pop up out of nowhere."

Shorrock Street, where Perosi was hit, is a four-lane road that's divided by a grass median. The stretch where she was hit is poorly lit, Della Fave has said. The Toms River man who was driving the car that hit Perosi has not been charged in the accident; a check of his cell phone for use immediately before the accident turned up nothing, Della Fave said, and the man also agreed to have blood drawn.

While the traffic safety crackdown in Lakewood is primarily focused on driver behaviors — driving under the influence, aggressive driving, excessive speed, improper passing and improper turns, failing to yield, failing to keep right, inattentive driving, and more — Della Fave said pedestrians must take responsibility for their safety as well.

"Take the time to go to the crosswalk and wait for the signal" that allows you to cross, he said. Once you have the signal, "don't assume that because you're a pedestrian that people will yield immediately."

"You have to give the drivers a chance to see you and a chance to stop before you step off the curb," Della Fave said. Too many people don't, he said. One of the other fatalities in Lakewood this year involved a man riding a bicycle. Della Fave said the man rode into traffic and video of the incident shows several cars swerving to miss him before the man was hit.

The effects of fatal pedestrian accidents are far-reaching: families and friends are left grieving the loss, and the drivers who had the misfortune of hitting the person — and those who witness such an accident or its aftermath — are left with emotional trauma as well.

In Sunday's accident, the driver who hit Martinez-Mendez was 22 years old and she had a 10-year-old passenger; both are now left with a memory that no amount of therapy can erase.

"In almost every case, the drivers are devastated," Della Fave said.

That's why authorities repeatedly try to emphasize safety messages to pedestrians — in informal ways, such as the Monmouth prosecutor's Facebook message, and more formally as well.

"Each year, we are fortunate to be awarded the Safe Corridors grant issued by the NJDOT," Kudrick said. "We will be using a portion of those funds to increase the safety of our pedestrians and motorists," in the form of both education and enforcement, he said.

Failure to obey a pedestrian crossing signal or crossing not at a crosswalk can result in a summons and a $54 fine.

"We've called on the drivers to drive responsibly but pedestrians need to follow the rules as well," Della Fave said.

Photo via Google Maps of a pedestrian crossing sign along Route 9 in Howell Township