CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — An elderly woman is in critical condition after she was struck by a car Tuesday morning while trying to cross a busy road in Cumberland.
According to Deputy Chief Douglas Ciullo, police responded to Mendon Road at about 8 a.m. to find the woman lying down in the roadway. She was rushed to the hospital with injuries to her head and knees.
Ciullo said the driver is being cooperative. Investigators were seen towing an SUV from the scene for inspection.
Sheila Horn, who resides at the senior living home near the scene, said the intersection is very dangerous and a lot of drivers run the red light. She said she hopes red light cameras are installed, especially since it can take a long time for elderly people to cross the road.
“We tend to walk slower,” Horn explained. “As we step off the curb, that’s when the cars whiz by. Before you even get a chance to take a second or third step.”
Rhode Island Rep. Jim McLaughlin (D-Cumberland) is calling on the Department of Transportation to lower the speed limit and improve traffic lights in the area, as well as add cameras. According to McLaughlin, the incident marks the fifth pedestrian accident at that intersection in as many years.
“DOT needs to get out here and do what they need to do for the protection of our citizens here in the town of Cumberland,” he said.
A spokesperson for RIDOT says the issue is on the agenda for the next meeting of the State Traffic Commission on Feb. 10. A traffic consultant will begin studying the traffic patterns ahead of that meeting.
