New Canaan Boy Struck By Car Early Friday While Walking To Bus Stop

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Richmond Hill Road between the railroad crossing and Marshall Ridge Road.

A 13-year-old boy was struck by a car while walking on Richmond Hill Road to his bus stop early Friday, officials say.

The boy struck his head but was OK and declined to undergo medical treatment at the scene, according to police.

The incident occurred at approximately 6:48 a.m. on the south side of Richmond Hill Road between its intersection with Marshall Ridge Road and the railroad trucks.

At the time of the collision, the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Richmond Hill Road while the boy was walking westbound (against traffic, as appropriate), New Canaan Police Lt. Jason Ferraro, the department’s public information officer, said when asked about the incident. Witnesses told NewCanaanite.com that the boy was clipped by a pickup that struck his right shoulder with its side mirror. The boy struck his head in falling down, witnesses said.

No enforcement action was taken and the accident is not under investigation, Ferraro said.

Police, fire and EMS units responded to the incident.

Citing safety concerns, about 70 neighborhood families in December 2018 signed a petition requesting a sidewalk, and the town has taken steps toward completing that project. Plans call for a sidewalk that runs along the south side of Richmond Hill from the exit of Mead Park to Marshall Ridge Road. In January 2019, the town approved a contract for an engineering firm to design it. During that Board of Selectmen meeting, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said, “It is a dangerous street to try to walk to the train from.”

The status of the project is unclear. Public works officials could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The town during the most recent budget season approved $300,000 for sidewalk improvements for this fiscal year, and there’s an earmark for the same amount in each out-year of the continuously updated five-year capital plan.

10 thoughts on “New Canaan Boy Struck By Car Early Friday While Walking To Bus Stop

  1. just wait until the State diverts ALL Big Rig Trucks and Delivery vehicles off of 123 and onto Canoe Hill road …I am so sorry for this boy and his family. It is so unsettling to be hit (even when the resulting physical effects are not critical). I hope this is a reminder for all of us that no matter how late or busy we are Kids walk among us !!

  2. Thankful the boy is OK. What is the rational for the choice to abandon any enforcement action? The CT Statute indicates a fine for the infraction.
    Connecticut General Statutes
    CHAPTER 249* TRAFFIC CONTROL AND HIGHWAY SAFETY
    “Sec. 14-300d. Operator of a vehicle required to exercise due care to avoid pedestrian. “…” each operator of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or person propelling a human powered vehicle and shall give a reasonable warning by sounding a horn or other lawful noise emitting device to avoid a collision. An operator who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars.”

  3. I think Richmond Hill Rd should be our next town project for a sidewalk. I pass there all the time and there are many pedestrians, including women with baby carriages practically in the middle of the road, and there is absolutely no shoulder.

  4. It should not take a child being hit by a car to build a sidewalk on a street with no shoulder where many people walk!

  5. Lakeview Ave has the same problem…no sidewalks ! Heavy traffic on this street ..trucks,busses,ambulances , direct connection between New Canaan and Norwalk. Sidewalks on Main St and again on Millport Ave…but nothing in between. Very dangerous…many walkers from Avalon, local housing…Please put Lakeview at the top of scheduled sidewalks !

  6. I am so glad to hear the child is ok – so frightening. I noted in the article he was walking at 6:48am. It is dark at this time. No child should be expected to walk to school in the dark. This was a matter highly debated during last years BOE budget discussion on later start times. The proposed plan would have had our smallest children (who not all require a parent to be at the bus stop) being picked up as early as 7:01am which means leaving their houses earlier. Our children deserve sidewalks in across our town to be safe, start times that allow for getting to the bus stops in the light and proper sleep (10-12 hours) for all age groups. As we start the next years budget process again, I would ask that the town receive estimates on what it takes for all children to get to school between 8-9am and a RFP be included in that diligence.

    • Hi Jennifer – while changed school start times is a good goal, we are now in a very different economic and health situation than we were last winter. We still do not have all kids in town in school 5 days a week (6th grade only started 5 day a week in school class today). We also have no guarantee we will run in-class school each day for the rest of the school year. Lastly we do not know what all these Covid protocols will finally cost the town – do we want to add more costs on top of all this when the local and regional economy is in the shape it is?
      I suggest we as a town take a 1- 2 year pause on this discussion on changed school start times and instead stay focussed on getting and keeping all kids in school (and making up for lost in person schooling / learning).
      As for the need for sidewalks I am in total agreement – especially around Mead Park and Richmond Hill – as I am sure in other places as well.

      • Hi Giacomo – For sure times are different. My son is in 6th and is thrilled to be back in school since his sister who attends South start before him. There is so much we don’t know. What we do know is that the budget process will begin for the 2021-2022 school year with a final budget due (I believe in January to the town). The BOE determined in their goals that health (including sleep) is still a priority. If, they intend, to move forward with proceeding in helping our kids getting the sleep they need as an agenda item for next year, I would ask that due diligence, cost for all students between 8-9), on sleep for all be completed. There simply was not time before the budget was due to answer that question. And if not, it should be tabled but our students have waited a long time for this. I was not in favor of spending the money on the proposed budget from last year and wouldn’t again if we don’t have all the answers needed to do the right thing across all our students. Westport and Weston both were able to provide sleep times with no incremental budget. Weston also didn’t have efficiencies to gain through routes and looked for other solutions for the zero based budget change with no loss to student programs.

        We are in incredibly difficult times and our BOE and Administration have done a phenomenal job in creating the best scenario as I have seen. We are the envy of so many as our children are in school and to date have not seen a needed closure. For sure we everyday hope this continues throughout the school year. The agile system in place sets us up for most probable success. The Administration also has funds set aside at their discretion for COVID related costs and hopefully that will tied us over without additional funding.

        When I start to worry too much about the results of our current crisis I am reminded this isn’t the first time the world has seen such tragedy. I wish often we weren’t in this situation but am bolstered knowing that our children will get beyond this time and become great members of society like children of WWII, the Spanish Flu pandemic as examples and become world leaders, CEOs, innovators, care givers, etc. They will no doubt catch up and go beyond as this is what this town has laid out as a number one priority – our schools.

  7. Great reply Jennifer thanks – I am always open to good transparent data. My concern relates to distractions for all of us at a very complicated time. I would rather keep the focus on running a full year of in-school teaching for all kids rather than adding more variables – sort of ‘back to basics’ for a year as we get our bearings.

  8. The town should begin a slow process of building sidewalks along all major town roads. It should be a decade long process so that the cost is distributed over time but should cover long roads like Weed, Valley, Laurel, North Wilton, West and of course the busy town roads. I can’t speak for state roads like 123, 124 and 106.

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