Update: The woman who was injured in this accident was identified as Virgelino Cano, 78 years old, and she died 5 days after being hit by the truck. So far, it doesn’t look like the trucker has been charged.
Red Bank, NJ — A woman was hit and badly injured in Red Bank while she was crossing Broad Street this past Tuesday, June 23. According to the news reports, she was hit by a box truck driven by Michael Phillips, 42. The woman’s name wasn’t given, but she is 78 years old, the police say.
This happened around 10:45 a.m. on Broad Street, near the Foodtown Supermarket at Pinckney Avenue.
The 78-year old woman was in the middle of crossing Broad Street that morning when Michael Phillips tried to turn south onto Broad Street from Pinckney Avenue. The truck crashed into the woman, leaving her badly injured.
She had to be taken to a nearby high school so that a helicopter could transport her to a hospital. At the last update, she was in critical condition.
The truck driver here, Phillips, isn’t facing charges and it looks like police may still be investigating.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
Was this truck driver paying attention that morning? It appears the victim was in a crosswalk at the time and that the box truck was turning onto the street when it hit the woman. What does that mean? Well, pedestrians don’t usually have the right of way on the road, cars and vehicles do. However, if someone is in the middle of cross the street and a car is also turning onto the street, you could argue that the driver should yield to the pedestrian. After all, they were there first.
In this accident, the news is saying the woman was in a crosswalk, which makes me wonder why the box truck driver didn’t see her. There’s clear more investigation that needs to happen here because (unless I’m missing something) it just doesn’t seem right that the box truck wouldn’t face any charges here.
— Grossman Law Offices
