New York State averages 300 pedestrian fatalities every year. Many of the fatalities and about 15,000 injuries occur in New York City. To help curb behavior that put pedestrians at risk, police ramped up ticketing efforts for drivers who did not follow traffic laws designed to protect pedestrians. Pedestrians have the absolute right of way while inside a marked or unmarked crosswalk. In addition to rules that govern how drivers must behave to keep pedestrians safe, pedestrians also have a duty to use crosswalks when available and to yield to motorists when a crosswalk is not present. Failure to do so can see the pedestrian, rather than the motorist, get a ticket as the Daily Voice reports.
A collision involving two pedestrians occurred at about 8:52 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Ulster County. 20-year-old Jonathan Swart and 57-year-old Diane Swart were on Market Street near the Post Office in Saugerties.
They stepped off the curb and into the path of a 2005 Chrysler sedan being driven by Ingrid Loeffler, who also lives in Saugerties. The Chrysler was unable to stop or to avoid the two pedestrians and they were struck by the vehicle.
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Both Jonathan and Diane were treated by paramedics at the scene. They were then transported to WMC Health Alliance Hospital Broadway Campus. Their injuries were minor. Both pedestrians were cited with failure to use a crosswalk and failure to yield to a motor vehicle. So far, eight pedestrians have been struck by vehicles in Saugerties this year.
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