Pedestrian Killed In Peekskill

PEEKSKILL, NY — A 78-year-old Peekskill man died after being hit by a car at Washington and Requa streets on Sunday. The incident happened at 3:30 p.m., police said.

Officers responding to a call of a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle on the 400 block of Washington Street found the man lying in the middle of Washington St, unresponsive, with what appeared to be a critical head injury. CPR was started and Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported the victim to Westchester Medical Center, where he died from his injuries about two hours later.

No charges have been filed; the Westchester County Department of Public Safety has been called in to assist with accident reconstruction and investigation, police said.

Mayor Andre Rainey decried irresponsible drivers and vowed to improve safety.

The news also galvanized Peekskill Walks, the resident-led group fighting for safer pedestrian access around the city.

“We are incredibly sad to hear that the person hit by a vehicle yesterday at Washington and Requa passed away at the hospital. We are heartbroken that a neighbor died while simply walking in our city. Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and friends," said Conor Greene on behalf of Peekskill Walks. "We’re waiting for details, but we already know that Washington Street isn’t safe or welcoming and needs to be redesigned for everyone, especially our most vulnerable."

Rainey said the Common Council must consider implementing the latest technology to monitor traffic and punish those engaged in reckless driving.

"The use of 'red light' cameras should be reviewed in our city and considered for 2020 as we prepare to improve our downtown and riverfront area," he said, citing red-light running, excessive speed, and other irresponsible behavior witnessed by residents. "The blame here cannot be placed on the Peekskill Police Department. We firmly believe it’s these men and women who are doing their best to deal with these issues. Often enough, they are giving us the best information on how to handle them."

It's the job of the mayor's office and Common Council to work collaboratively on initiatives, he said.

Peekskill Walks said their priorities were better sidewalks, shorter crossing distances, more streetlights, improved sight-lines and additional crosswalks, and increased traffic enforcement.

We ask the city and county to move forward with these upgrades, regardless of the outcome of the ongoing police investigation into this incident. Some of these will take time and money, but others — like crosswalks — can be implemented quickly and cheaply.

We don’t know the specifics of this case, but we do know that just about every traffic death is preventable through better street design and enforcement. Everyone is impacted by unsafe streets — pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike — and we must work together to prevent future tragedies. We will keep this victim in our thoughts as we advocate for a safer Peekskill.