4th Person Now Hit At Same Highland Park Intersection

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — It is now a total of four people who have been hit by cars at the same Highland Park intersection, North 4th Ave. and Raritan Avenue or very close by, said police. And in one of the incidents a man died.

Residents say they are increasingly worried that Highland Park is not safe for pedestrians.

From September to November of this year, four people have been hit by cars at that intersection in four different incidents, confirmed Highland Park Police.

The most recent was a man struck last Friday. There is a marked crosswalk at that intersection.

"Sun glare has been documented as a factor in several of the crashes," said Highland Park Police spokesman Capt. Jose Curbelo.

Some people speculated that the outdoor dining tents put up by Highland Park restaurants may be blocking visibility, but Capt. Curbelo said the most recent pedestrian was struck — which happened last week — when the outdoor tables and tents had been removed.

Subscribe to Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe

The incidents are:

• Nov. 5: A man was hit while walking in the crosswalk of North 4th and Raritan. He posted on Facebook that he was hit while in the crosswalk and that he had the signal to cross. He said he suffered a broken wrist.
• Oct. 19: A woman was hit while walking across the same intersection. She did not appear to be critically injured and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
• Oct. 17: That morning, a 75-year-old Highland Park man riding a bike was hit by a car at the intersection. Like the woman before him, he was hit on a sunny day. He was taken by ambulance to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for a complaint of leg pain and discharged that same day. However, he returned to the hospital a few days later and died of injuries from the incident on Oct. 23, said police.
• Sept. 19: A female pedestrian was hit while walking in the crosswalk at South 3rd Avenue and Raritan Ave., just one block away. She was hit in broad daylight at 3:30 p.m. on a sunny day by a 19-year-old Edison teen who told police he did not see her in the crosswalk. When police got there, the woman was lying on her side in the middle of the crosswalk. According to the police report, the woman initially thought her hip was broken, but police then said it had been downgraded to a "minor hip injury."

Highland Park Police already told Patch they are monitoring that intersection and called it "concerning."

"We are continuing to investigate if it is an environmental or traffic related issue at this intersection that needs to be addressed," said Curbelo. "The police department is also working with (Highland Park Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler) to review all options to make this a safer intersection for our pedestrians and cycling community."

"Due to this being a state highway, all changes must be discussed and approved by the State DOT," he said.

Highland Park's main street, Raritan Avenue, is actually Rt. 27, a major Middlesex County road run by the state.

"If only the county will do something such as delayed green lights so people can cross," said one Highland Park woman, who knew the bicyclist who was killed in October.

"Be safe; the drivers aren't," wrote the man who was hit in November. "I hope someone does something before there's another fatality. Highland Park is not a safe place for pedestrians."

Prior Patch report on this issue: Cops Monitor Highland Park Intersection Where 2 Were Hit, 1 Died

Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com