Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

July 26, 2009 – Herbert Whitaker, 7 years old, has died as the result of a car accident in Halifax, Massachusetts around noon time yesterday. He was riding his bicycle with his father and located in a marked crosswalk when he was struck by a car driven by a 76-year-old Plympton woman, Marcia Chadborne.

Onlookers unsuccessfully attempted to revive the boy before police arrived, at which time he was taken to Brockton Hospital Brockton hospital. He was pronounced dead there at 12:44 p.m. Chadbourne has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and failure to yield at a crosswalk, according to Halifax police. There was no indication whether or not she was speeding at the time of the accident. The speed limit in the area is 35 miles per hour.

Herbert Whitaker and his father were both wearing helmets at the time of the accident. A second younger child of Whitakers was riding on his father’s bicycle at the time of the accident. Neither the father, nor this child were struck or injured, according to police. This was the first fatal pedestrian accident in Halifax in several years.

July 16, 2009 – Fredy E. Zepeda, 35, from Brighton, Massachusetts, has died as a result of serious personal injuries sustained when he was struck by a rental car on Wednesday. Zepeda was hit while he was strapping his one year old son into a car seat. The rental car was being driven by Cathy Burgin-August, 47, of Watertown, Massachusetts.

The accident occurred Wednesday morning in front of Zepeda’s home located at the intersection of Cambridge and Gordon streets in Brighton. Burgin-August continued to drive for two blocks after her car hit Zepeda. She was eventually forced to pull over by a livery car driver, who witnessed the accident.

Zepeda was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery. His injuries were described by the Boston Police as massive head trauma. Neither the child, nor Zepeda’s wife, who was also inside the vehicle, were injured.

July 15, 2009 – An 83 year old woman has caused personal injuries in a car accident when she struck two children and their grandmother as she was pulling out of a church parking lot. The driver was making a left hand turn out of St. Edward’s Church on Spring Street in Medfield, Massachusetts.

The driver hit a grandmother, her 5 year old grandchild who was holding her hand, and a 2 year old she was pushing in a stroller. All three were taken to Norwood Hospital for treatment. The 2 year old had the most serious personal injuries, suffering cuts to his face. The driver was not harmed. The cause of the accident remains uncertain at this time and the accident is still under investigation.

This is the latest of a series of car accidents involving senior drivers. Motorcyclist Richard Kelly was killed Saturday when his motorcycle was hit by an 88 year old dirver. Michele Veneziano, 85, of Lynn, severely injured a pedestrian in Revere who was exiting his parked vehicle. Debra Blenckhorn was also injured when Jacqueline Sorenson, 83, crashed her car into a Natick liquor store. Finally, most tragically, 4 year old Diya Patel was struck and killed while crossing a Stoughton street in a crosswalk, when she was struck by an 88 year old driver, Ilse Horn.

July 10, 2009 – Michele Veneziano, 85, of Lynn, Massachusetts, has been charged with driving to endanger and leaving the scene of an accident after hitting a parked car in Revere, Massachusetts and then hitting a man who was exiting his parked vehicle. The injured man was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of serious personal injuries. Veneziano does not appear to have been injured in the crash.

This accident comes on the same day that 88 year old, Ilse Horn, was indicted on one count of negligent homicide. She is woman who struck and killed 4 year old Diya Patel in a crosswalk in Stoughton, Massachusetts several weeks ago. She could face a maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in the House of Correction if found guilty.

The Massachusetts legislature continues to debate new rules pertaining to the testing of elderly drivers, thus far without taking any action. was charged with  was cited for negligent operation and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.

July 2, 2009 – Zachary Rofino, an 11 year old from North Attleboro, Massachusetts, suffered personal injuries in a car accident when he was pinned between two cars at a mall parking lot on Monday. Dominick Perry, 85, of Seekonk, was backing his car up in the parking lot of the Emerald Square Mall in Attleboro when he struck Rofino. The boy was pinned between Perry’s car and his mother’s sport utility vehicle. According to police, Perry claims he did not see Rofino until he heard the child screaming in pain.

Rofino was treated and released from the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Before he was hit, Rofino was helping his mother unload a stroller from the back of her car.

Perry has been charged with driving to endanger and had his licensed revoked by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. According to the Registry, Perry had no prior incidents in his driving history.

June 30, 2009 – Francis Blomerth, 84 years old from Medford, Massachusetts suffered  serious personal injuries in a car accident while he was crossing Main Street as a pedestrian in downtown Melrose Sunday morning. Blomerth was hit by a car driven by 86 year old Virginia Nelson, of Malden. Blomerth remains in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has revoked Nelson’s operator’s license, but has yet to cite her for any violations related to the accident. According to the Registry, Nelson has a clean driving record, but nonetheless revoked her license in reliance on the official report from the accident.

Both the Melrose Police and the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the accident.  However, Blomerth appeared to be in a crosswalk when he was struck and there were no skid marks at the point of impact.

June 26, 2009: James Eldredge, 24, was hit by a Falmouth police cruiser as he was walking down Sandwich Road at 10:55 PM on Wednesday. Officer Thomas McGuire’s cruiser collided with the back end of a cruiser driven by Michael Simoneau. The crash caused Simoneau’s vehicle to drive off of the road and hit Eldredge.

The police officers were responding to a domestic disturbance, while Eldredge allegedly was walking by the road to the buy a pack of cigarettes. Falmouth Police told Eldrege’s brother that the first cruiser may have slammed on his brakes when he spotted James Eldredge walking on the side of the road. Police apparently believed that he might have been involved in the domestic disturbance. However, Eldredge had no involvement in the crime.

Eldredge sustained serious personal injuries and is in a medically induced coma.  James Eldredge is the father of two young daughters, both under the age of two.

June 24, 2009: Adilino Monteiro, an 83 year old Brockton, Massachusetts resident, suffered severe personal injuries while attempting to cross North Montello Street in Brockton on Monday. A car driven by Sunthorn Nuntapanich, struck Monteiro as he was trying to cross the street.

Apparently, a car traveling in the northbound lane had stopped to let Monteiro cross the street. Nuntapanich, who was in the southbound lane, did not see Monteiro prior to impact. The front quarter panel of Nuntapanich’s car collided with Monteiro and he hit his head on the side-view mirror. Monteiro was taken to Brockton Hospital and then was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Nuntapanich and his wife, Phian Sanocki, were not injured in the accident.

Witnesses claim that Nuntapanich was not speeding and was traveling within the boundaries of his lane. Brockton Police officer, Lt. John Crowley, confirmed that the car was “just inching forward in traffic.” It does not appear that any charges will be filed against Nuntapanich.

June 18, 2009: Brandy Rix, a 5 year old girl from Abington, Massachusetts, was hit by a medical transport van as she was crossing North Avenue in Abington. The van was driven by an unidentified woman in her twenties. Brandy Rix was crossing the street with her mother and three other siblings, none of whom are injured.

Brandy Rix was Med Flighted to Boston Medical Center where she underwent surgery for serious personal injuries but remains in stable condition. It is unclear at this time if charges will be filed against the driver.

The operator of the medical transport van was Nicole Barros, 28, of Abington. At the request of the Abington Police Department, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has revoked her license on the basis that she is an “immediate threat” on the road. Barros has at least 3 prior citations on record for surchargeable driving offenses.