Boy hit bycar– ‘crossing to blame’
Woodville residents are urging roading officials to move pedestrian crossings away from corners after a boy was hit by a car.
Lucas Caske, 12, suffered a crushed foot after being struck on a McLean St pedestrian crossing on February 18.
Lucas was crossing with his scooter when he was hit by the car, which was turning onto the street from Vogel St, State Highway 3.
His stepfather Gwynn CapinigVeale said Lucas’ injured foot required a visit to an emergency doctor but he was doing OK.
‘‘He’s fine. He was just upset when it first happened.’’
Capinig-Veale said he wanted the crossing to be moved further down the street so people had time to stop.
‘‘When you come around the bend, you wouldn’t expect to have a crossing right there.
‘‘If there was a big truck it could have been worse.’’
Capinig-Veale said a staff member at City Doctors, Palmerston North, told the family other people who had been hit by cars at Woodville crossings had also been in.
‘‘Hearing that there’s been other incidents already, something should be done.
‘‘I’ve talked to the [NZ Transport Agency] and they are going to do an investigation but I’m not sure how far that will go.’’
The family would not be contacting the police or taking action against the driver as the crossing was the main problem, CapinigVeale said.
New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman Ross I’Anson said the agency was not advised of any issues with the pedestrian crossing prior to the incident last Sunday.
There were no plans to change its location as the crossing seemed to be performing adequately, he said.
‘‘However, the New Zealand Transport Agency constantly monitors the safety of zebra crossings and makes changes if issues are identified.’’
Crossings in Woodville underwent minor planting and signage changes when visibility was obstructed and recently the crossing outside the Salvation Army shop on Vogel St had its car parking removed to improve visibility, said I’Anson.
Woodville’s Melissa Reiri said she was not surprised to heard about the crash as pedestrians could be hard to see when driving from Vogel St.
‘‘There’s no room to stop.’’ Crossings on Ormond and Ross streets were also too close to corners, Reiri said.
Tararua District Council spokesman Mark Maxwell said there had been suggestions made to the council on ways to improve local crossings.