Stamford police: Pedestrian in critical condition, motorcyclist serious after collision downtown
The motorcycle rider was heading west on Tresser toward Washington Boulevard at the time of the collision and was knocked off his bike, suffering serious injuries.
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A New York man who works in Stamford is in critical condition after he was hit by a motorcyclist while crossing the street downtown Wednesday night, according to Stamford police. It happened at the intersection of Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard around 7:40 p.m. as the 24-year-old was likely walking to the train station to head home, said Sgt. Jeffrey Booth. The motorcycle rider was heading west on Tresser toward Washington Boulevard at the time of the collision and was knocked off his bike, suffering serious injuries, according to Booth.
“We do know the pedestrian was in the crosswalk. We're investigating the light situation now. We didn't have any direct witnesses that saw traffic lights at the moment. We do have some people who stopped, and we're going to interview them,” Booth told News 12.
It's also unclear if the pedestrian had a walk signal. It’s not automatic at that intersection and requires people to push a button to get the go-ahead. Booth said investigators will also review traffic camera footage from the area.
“We do have a fair amount of crashes at that intersection, but it is very heavily traveled,” Booth said.
The city has implemented multiple traffic initiatives to try to make downtown streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. Those include changes to roadway design, engineering and light cycles, along with a push to educate the community.
“That has seemed to work a little bit, but people have to abide by the rules in order to make it work,” Booth stated.
Sydney Greer, of Stamford, lives and works downtown.
“It can be a bit difficult,” Greer said. “When you're trying to cross, sometimes when people are taking a right, they don't really look at the traffic signals. So, you have to be pretty careful. People need to stay alert when they’re driving.”
Omar Riofrio, who lives down the street, agreed but added that pedestrians need to pay attention, too. Riofrio said he sees a lot of people staring at their phones when they cross the street. He told News 12 his wife was hit by a car downtown, despite being in a crosswalk, and since then, he’s even more careful when he walks around.
“After what happened to my wife, I always worry crossing the street. I'm scared somebody's going to hit me,” Riofrio said.
