Pedestrian Received Major Injuries When Hit by Vehicle Last Night

Pedestrian HitPress release from EPD:

On March 2, 2021, at about 10:16 p.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to the 1500 block of 5th Street (Northbound US Highway 101) for the report of a vehicle vs pedestrian collision. The 20-year-old male driver, a resident of Arcata, was traveling on 5th Street when he struck the 54-year-old male pedestrian, a resident of Eureka.

The pedestrian suffered major injuries as a result of the collision. Humboldt Bay Fire and City Ambulance responded and provided emergency medical care and transportation to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The driver was evaluated on scene and DUI does not appear to be a factor. An Evidence Technician and Officer with Advanced Collision Investigation Training responded to process the scene. This is an active and ongoing investigation.

This is the twelfth serious injury or fatal collision involving a pedestrian or bicyclist on US Highway 101 in the city limits of Eureka in the last 12 months. Eight of these collisions occurred while it was dark or dusk. The City of Eureka’s County-Wide Traffic Safety Task Force is launching this month and we are committed to improving safety for the most vulnerable road users in the city.

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44 Comments
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BTDT
Guest
BTDT
3 years ago

Not saying this was the case in this accident but how many times have we had people walk out in front of us wearing dark clothing and expecting us to stop?

Mike
Guest
Mike
3 years ago
Reply to  BTDT

A lot

Anarchist in Arcata
Guest
Anarchist in Arcata
3 years ago

The city allows people with questionable mental stability to wander around aimlessly all day on these blocks bordering three-lane roads. It’s inevitable that they come into contact with traffic.

The pedestrian has to take precautions when crossing and that requires full attention. Occasional bad drivers do bad driver things and the pedestrian has to take that into account. You can’t allow impaired people to wander aimlessly in the street.

Bumbo
Guest
Bumbo
3 years ago

If someone is wearing dark clothes at night or is mentally ill, they deserve to be hit by a car????? Is that seriously what these comments are saying smh

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  Bumbo

No one but you said anything about “deserving” to get hit.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Bumbo

Bumboo,
thanks. That’s exactly what some of the comments are saying. Hope the pedestrian is ok.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
3 years ago

How are you going to keep impaired people from wandering around? California doesn’t want to keep anyone locked up.

cutomorrow
Guest
cutomorrow
3 years ago
Reply to  I like stars

yep, it’s a sad situation. I wouldn’t mind being taxed for a facility that houses, studies and treats the mentally ill.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
3 years ago

You’re an anarchist in Arcata but you want laws to prevent non-violent, free-range rambling of mentally-challenged individuals in public areas? Ohhh kaaaaay!

TJay
Guest
TJay
3 years ago

Seems we really need an education campaign for safe bicycling and walking at dusk/night. Way to many people around here wear extremely dark clothes. Then step outside and go for a walk in the dark and think nothing of it. Even more then pull their phone out and pay zero attention to what is around them, going so far as to put headphones in and pull a hood over their head.

I would love to say that these are isolated incidents. But it seems the problem is much larger than that. With the steadily increasing number of deaths and accidents over the last 5-10 year in this area. You would think that would make people take steps to improve their safety and visibility.

Would it be possible that something like a pedestrian safety campaign and banners around town about “Be visible at night and dusk. Possibly with some high visibility equipment that could be given out (reflectors for shoes or something).

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

The drivers need a whole lot of continuing education too.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Guest,
correct. Generally speaking people drive horribly around here. Yesterday a driver parked in the red, and I asked them to move because they were too close and also in the red, they refused. I could understand if it was an emergency but they were getting take-out, they even had children with them. It’s like they need a drivers education course. They have absolutely no idea how to drive.

Country Bumpkin
Guest
Country Bumpkin
3 years ago
Reply to  E

Or how to park, apparently. Is there a direct correlation between driving skill and parking etiquette?

CnD
Guest
CnD
3 years ago
Reply to  E

Most people know they are breaking the law when parking in a red zone (or in front of a fire hydrant, or in an alley, etc), but don’t care because they feel entitled.

UnflappableJack
Guest
UnflappableJack
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

Education campaign for a lesson your Mom taught you when you were 5????? Here’s your lesson plan; look both ways before you cross. Class dismissed.

AA
Guest
AA
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

Uhhh…maybe if there are 12 fatal or serious injury accidents on a single road in a year, it’s just a dangerous road? Yes, there are lots of pedestrians in Eureka who don’t exactly go out of their way to be safe, but maybe having a major highway that is constantly bumper-to-bumper, with three lanes most of the way, run right through your downtown is the issue here. I think everyone would agree that it sucks to drive and it’s hard to walk across. It’s so obvious that the problem is that stretch of road, please stop blaming the pedestrian who was probably just trying to cross the street and ended up with life-changing injuries.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  AA

AA,
thank you for your consideration of the pedestrians as well as the drivers. Their life matters just as much as anyone’s.

No Joke
Guest
No Joke
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

We need an education campaign for safe driving at night. Drivers keep hitting other cars, phone poles, even houses – cars and light poles all have lights and reflectors, houses are huge, it is carelessness and inattention, not visibility, that is the problem.

Glittrqn
Guest
Glittrqn
3 years ago
Reply to  No Joke

Not to mention when I stop at a crosswalk for a pedestrian invariably 3 or 4 cars blow by me. I guess they think I’ve stopped to pick my nose.

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

I hate driving on Broadway or 4th or 5th. I used to choose 6th or 7th as an alternative. But even that has become worse with people not stopping at cross streets. A through highway does not belong there.

TDog
Guest
TDog
3 years ago

pedestrians that get hit should be drug tested. if they did i know for a fact heroin would be at fault ALMOST every time. gotta “LOVE THAT HEROIN”.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago

The other day the stoplight was red, was waiting for traffic to clear or for it to turn green to turn right up fifth and a vehicle was honking at me to go faster. Even if good drivers want to be cautious and courteous, to pedestrians, to other drivers, they are afraid of getting hit from behind if they slow down, by really terrible drivers. Somebody may want to consider decreasing the speed limmits, adding roundabouts, giving hefty fines for speeding or discourteous driving, or hiring another officer just for traffic control, or something.

Tony Williams
Guest
Tony Williams
3 years ago
Reply to  E

I wonder when the last time one of the roaming gnomes was ticketed for jaywalking, it is against the law I think 🤔

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony Williams

The law says use “due care,” which means if you can avoid hitting a “jay walker,” you have to avoid hitting them, that’s the law.

Martin
Guest
Martin
3 years ago
Reply to  E

E, how do you avoid the jay walkers when there are vehicles surrounding you? Jay walking is illegal, and if they get hit it is their own fault. Our streets are full of homeless bums, and others who could care less about the law. If you want to take a walk on the wild side, then just step out into the street and start crossing. Good luck! I surely don’t wish them harm at anytime, but it does happen.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Martin

Martin, I try to avoid rush hour, when the roads are full of cars, and I avoid, 4th,5th, Broadway whenever possible. An alternate route through town is Harris or 14th st. But for drivers that can’t avoid 4th, 5th, or Broadway especially during rush hour it’s nerve wracking. I get what you’re saying. I think drivers biggest fear is getting hit from behind by other vehicles when stopping for pedestrians. For the pedestrians being hit at night and in the early morning before the sun was up, a simple affordable solution would be to add street lights to that area for better visibility and to decrease the speed limmit, just in the areas that are accident prone.

No Joke
Guest
No Joke
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony Williams

what is the definition of jaywalking?

Connie Dobbs
Guest
Connie Dobbs
3 years ago
Reply to  No Joke

Crossing the street where car drivers don’t care to stop, apparently.

Martin
Guest
Martin
3 years ago
Reply to  No Joke

No Joke, jay walking is when you cross a street without using a crosswalk. Henderson Center is a good example, people cross there all the time without using the cross walks.

Thirdeye
Guest
Thirdeye
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony Williams

What makes you think the victim was jaywalking? The 1500 block of Fifth has two marked crosswalks.

Country Bumpkin
Guest
Country Bumpkin
3 years ago
Reply to  Thirdeye

It’s jaxwalking!!! Get with the times.

Martin
Guest
Martin
3 years ago
Reply to  Thirdeye

Thirdeye, I did not say the person was jay walking. No Joke, above asked what is jay walking? So I gave him the answer. Just because 1500 block of 5th St. has two marked crosswalks, does not mean he used either. I will bet my bottom dollar you have jay walked before.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony Williams

Do you think the bums would pay those tickets? What would you do to them if they didn’t? Lock them up? FFS, they don’t even lock up people found with pounds of heroin.

Lee Richardson
Guest
Lee Richardson
3 years ago

I am in a wheelchair. I wait at a crosswalk for the light to cross. I do not go out into traffic. I have been hit twice, crossing legally, in the 19 years I have lived here. Formerly, I have driven in large cities like San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Portland, and Dallas. These are the worst drivers I have ever encountered.

E
Guest
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Lee Richardson

Lee,
right, thanks. That some of the commenters malign the pedestrian when they don’t know the facts is frightening enough but knowing that those commenters are on the road, is beyond the pale. People drive horribly around here. They need to hire a motorcycle cop just for traffic control. I think some drivers are high or stoned. Though it’s legal for adults to be stoned, it’s still not legal for them to drive stoned.

North west
Guest
North west
3 years ago

I’ve heard that the Big Hammer was instrumental in keeping 101 running through town.
Is or was Pearson on the counsel that rejected the bypass? It might have been gossip, but it dose sound right

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  North west

I remember when CalTrans owned quite a few house with the idea of removing them for a new highway. That went on for years. The historical society objected to tearing them down. I don’t think that the highway by Pierson’s was going to be moved but old town merchant’s were vocal and unhappy because it would have isolated them from the residential part of town and made getting to them hard. Anyway with some budget crunches, CalTrans sold off the houses they bought and the whole thing just faded away.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
3 years ago
Reply to  Guest

That’s pretty much the way I remember it. The alleged fear was that drivers would just blow by Eureka on the bypass and eat, sleep, or gas up elsewhere. A reasonable concern, but what is the safety risk? Driving is a dangerous thing, regardless, and the terrible and ever-more dangerous local drivers don’t help. What happened with the Willits bypass?

JRB
Guest
JRB
3 years ago

This is just about a daily happening here in Eureka. Yes, we have drivers and pedestrians that are substance abusers, distracted, in a hurry, have mental problems, stressed out from all our current ongoing life problems, etc. This out of control deadly problem affects everyone and has to be addressed immediately!

I had my car worked on yesterday in Eureka. I decided I would walk around and see for myself just how unsafe the streets are. They are even worst right now, it seems, as all the drivers and pedestrians are distracted because of all the continuing road work. I walked all over for hours. I had most of my problems crossing the street with people that were turning on the red light. They’re stopping, no there not, as I remained on the sidewalk. I wouldn’t want to have to walk around in the city everyday!

If you just drive all the time through Eureka, you need to go for a walk across the streets. You’ll better understand the major problems that we have here for our pedestrians safety!

I had lunch with my wife down at the waterfront. She now wears a highly visible orange, yellow, and silver reflective jacket when she walks in Eureka. I noticed drivers really stayed back and gave us a lot of space when crossing the road. She was hit in a crosswalk in early January and was out of work for over a month. She was actually one of the lucky ones as she wasn’t driven over and was able to return to her work in February.

There have been many more people hit with lesser injuries that I believe are not being included in the total number of accidents that have actually taken place. It’s time to stop finger pointing and instead we need to put our heads together to come up with some real solutions that will end this carnage of our citizens!

CnD
Guest
CnD
3 years ago
Reply to  JRB

Thank you for sharing JRB! Very sorry your wife was struck by a driver… while in a crosswalk.

JRB
Guest
JRB
3 years ago
Reply to  CnD

Thank you CnD! I’m glad it wasn’t worse. She is very active and a positive person, which I know helped her in her recovery.

cu2morrow
Guest
cu2morrow
3 years ago

that whole corridor isn’t safe for drivers or pedestrians .

JRB
Guest
JRB
3 years ago

Yep, I agree. Humboldt County is beautiful but it can be costly and unsafe to live here! In almost 20 years of living here we have spent over half as much money on four different accidents, as we have on our home mortgage. Thank God for insurance!

Lets see, one emergency medical flight, multiple ambulance rides, two day ICU visit, multiple emergency room visits and doctor appointments, medicines, car replacement and repair, etc. We weren’t at fault for any of these accidents. Wrong place at the wrong time. Two of the four accidents were caused by people with substance abuse problems. Two were caused by distracted drivers.

I’m thinking of buying a very large growdozer truck and fabricating a large hamster ball for crossing the streets! We are running out of our nine lives! Be careful out there and good luck.

melissa
Guest
melissa
2 years ago

This man who was hit it my brother and he was out getting dog food for his dog. He was not homeless or mentally ill like some of the comments suggest. I came to see my brother in the hospital after the accident and went to the scene while I was there. There is a crosswalk in the mist of three lanes of traffic. I went there during the day and not one person stopped at that stop walk. They need a red light there to make people stop. I have read numerous articles since on how dangerous this road is. 101 traffic running through the middle of town is a very dangerous situation. My brother sustained life altering injuries because of this accident which could be avoided in the future by putting a red light and pedestrian cross at this location.