Killed on daily walk
S.I. nabe mourns after beloved 75-yr.-old mowed down
A 75-year-old man known for his daily neighborhood walks died when an SUV struck him as he crossed a Staten Island street, police said Thursday.
The elderly man was slowly crossing Martling Ave. — a twoway street — near Slosson Ave. in West Brighton around 1:40 p.m. Wednesday afternoon when he was hit by an eastbound orange 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, surveillance footage obtained by the Daily News shows.
The vehicle continued forward for a few feet before the driver made a U-turn back toward the victim, the video shows. A jogger who was running eastbound also turned and made a beeline toward the elderly man.
Vin Parlatore, who lives steps
away from the fatal collision, rushed out to the scene moments after his neighbor was hit.
“The driver said that she thought [he] was crawling, so
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she didn’t see him,” 47-year-old Parlatore told The News.
Medics soon arrived, but the man couldn’t be saved.
“People came to his aid, but he died pretty much on the spot,” Parlatore said. “A lot of the kids in the area were crying. They were very upset.”
The driver stayed at the scene and was not immediately charged, police said. The crash victim’s name has not been released because his family hasn’t been notified of his death.
“He crosses every day from that driveway to my driveway like clockwork,” Parlatore added, gesturing to the other side of the street. “For at least two years he’s been walking, doing the same routine.”
“It’s horrible. [He is] one of the staples of the neighborhood.”
Neighbor Margaret Thompson said the victim was a Vietnam veteran, and his war injuries caused him to walk with a limp.
“Oh, I feel sick that he’s dead. ... He was a lovely man,” Thompson told The News, noting how her neighbor would tend to his trees, flowers and shrubs with great care. “He walked everywhere. He was alone, but he walked every day to get out and get exercise.”
“He walks really slow, so you would see him,” she added, wondering how the driver didn’t see him crossing the street.
Parlatore said there have been a number of car accidents along Martling Ave., where he often watches drivers speed down the street.
“We’ve gotten cars that have been traveling about 90 mph down this block and not paying any attention. And it’s frequented by a lot of runners. It’s right by Clove Lakes [Park],” he said.
“We went to [a community board] meeting and discussed the issues with the traffic here, and it fell on deaf ears. Politicians did nothing before to address it,” he added. “There needs to be speed bumps to [get drivers’] attention.
“It was bound to happen. We were always concerned that it was gonna be one of the kids in this block . ... It’s a shame.”