COLUMBUS, Ohio — A purple basket is crushed on the side of the road. It was supposed to be filled with candy.
Instead, a neighbor stopped by Tuesday morning to retrieve it. A neighbor who called 911.
“I heard the impact,” said Larry Rodgers who lives nearby. “Sad situation.”
Rodgers said he wanted to find the family and return the basket. He was hoping the child would pull through.
“It's a dangerous intersection,” he said. “I've seen a lot of close calls right here."
The crosswalk equipped with flashing lights on Westerville Road and Valley Park Avenue in Columbus connects two residential neighborhoods.
It's where police say a 4-year-old child crossing the street with an adult was hit by a truck on Halloween night – and the child later died at the hospital.
“A 4-year-old! It hurts!” said Allen Jones, another neighbor.
Jones and other neighbors said the flashing light at the crosswalk doesn't cut it.
“They need a traffic light, not a flashing light,” said Jones. “They fly down this street. A flashing light won’t make them take notice they'll ignore it.”
It's law in Ohio for drivers to slow or stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Neighbors said they have been concerned for a long time – about drivers not stopping.
“An actual traffic light would be the only solution,” said Lisa Murfield, another neighbor.
According to Debbie Briner, a City of Columbus Public Relations Specialist, the city installed the rectangular rapid flashing beacon in 2018 at the crossing for the Alum Creek Trail.
She also said an initial review indicated that the Division of Traffic Management had not received 311 traffic-related concerns about this crossing.
“Now what are we going to do about it? The people in the neighborhood we can voice our opinions. Like I'm doing now. But I don't have the power, the neighborhood don't have the power to actually get out here and do something,” said Jones.
The speed limit on this stretch is 45 miles per hour.
It's unknown if the driver will face charges.
According to the Columbus Division of Police, in the last two years, police received three calls of service to this specific intersection for crashes.
The city says the place to go to report an issue or make a request for a traffic light is to use the city's 311 service request website.
According to Debbie Briner, a City of Columbus Public Relations Specialist, the city installed the rectangular rapid flashing beacon in 2018 at the crossing for the Alum Creek Trail.
She also said an initial review indicated that the Division of Traffic Management had not received 311 traffic-related concerns about this crossing.
Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla released the following statement to 10TV:
“My heart is broken for the family of the four year old who was struck by a car in a crosswalk on Halloween night and lost their life. On a night centered on the joy of our children it is unfathomable that this time of year will be one that brings sadness to two families in Columbus and the communities that care for them.
Our roads are made for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles and we need more cautious drivers that are not distracted, follow speed limits, stop at crosswalks, yield to bikes. These tools are put in place to protect people and when used as intended we save lives. This is part of our Vision Zero plan and it only works if we as the community change our behaviors and look out for each other.
When we stop paying attention to our surroundings–that’s when tragedies happen.”
According to the city of Columbus, more than 50 people die in traffic crashes on city roads each year. The city has an initiative called Vision Zero to combat that statistic. According to Columbus police this was the 79th traffic related fatality to date this year.