Update January 4, 2020: In less than 24 hours after publication, information about yet another fatality was released, bringing the total (as we know it today) of pedestrians killed in 2020 to 60. The details of this loss can be found on the map at the bottom of the post.
Last month a few news outlets quoted the pedestrian fatality data that I included in that post, and while I am grateful that more attention was given to this issue than usual, they all really should have been referring to the embedded map which has been updated every few days. The death toll listed in the narrative became outdated, sadly, within days of publication. Even in a year when we are all supposedly on pause, there has been no reprieve when it comes to preventable road deaths.
Because there is sometimes a lag between when a motorist hits a person with a vehicle and when the victim dies, I have found myself adding people weeks, months later. What I said about November tying January 2020 as the deadliest months for pedestrians and cyclists in Connecticut changed. November ended up being the worst.
What we saw in December was more of the same. People unable to make it home safely because of terrible infrastructure combined with careless drivers. News reports using “accident” and passive voice to describe preventable deaths. Victims unidentified weeks later. Maybe never.
In December 2020, five people — that we know of — died from injuries sustained after being hit by motorists. That brings the minimum total for 2020 to 59 pedestrians and six cyclists killed after collisions with vehicles driven by motorists.
I do not recall any newspaper covering this, but on December 4, a 15-year old boy in Windsor was struck by two motorists — one driving a Nissan Altima and the other a Honda Accord. Besides the absence of news attention, this case is notable because in the UConn Crash Data Repository it was noted that the teen was emotional at the time — whether that means he was depressed or angry, or in some other kind of emotional state is unknown. There is no narration in a database, just boxes checked off. The teenager was not been identified.
On the same day, really within the same hour, a Branford motorist struck 71-year old Jean-Marie Goldstein while he was crossing the street near Big Y. Goldstein was pronounced dead at the scene. This happened at 150 Boston Post Road in Milford.
During the first real snow storm of the season, Paul Bonfiglio, 57, was found unconscious in a driveway just before 3 AM. He died at the hospital. It was assumed he had a heart attack while shoveling. Only days later did the story come out that his injuries were actually the result of him getting hit by someone’s vehicle. Between the delay in cause of death and weather conditions at time, who knows how helpful any neighborhood cameras might be in helping to identify a suspect vehicle and operator.
According to his obituary, Paul will be remembered for “his generous spirit, impeccable attendance and passion for photography.” He is being mourned by siblings, cousins, and other family, friends, and neighbors.
On Christmas Eve, 85-year old Ronald Shaw of New York crashed his car into the median of I-84 in Middlebury. He got out and attempted to cross the highway. While crossing the highway, a motorist driving a Toyota Camry struck and killed Shaw when he was in the right lane.
It was a rough year for New Haven. On December 29, a New Haven woman driving a Jeep Liberty struck and killed a man who was crossing Ella Grasso Boulevard somewhere between Printers Lane and Adeline Street. There is a painted crosswalk between those intersections, FYI. As of publication, the victim still has not been identified.
A reflection on this 2020 project, and where it goes next, will be published in a few days. For now, just sit with those names we know and the ones we don’t.
Pedestrian Deaths Across Connecticut in December 2020
Update January 4, 2020: In less than 24 hours after publication, information about yet another fatality was released, bringing the total (as we know it today) of pedestrians killed in 2020 to 60. The details of this loss can be found on the map at the bottom of the post.
Last month a few news outlets quoted the pedestrian fatality data that I included in that post, and while I am grateful that more attention was given to this issue than usual, they all really should have been referring to the embedded map which has been updated every few days. The death toll listed in the narrative became outdated, sadly, within days of publication. Even in a year when we are all supposedly on pause, there has been no reprieve when it comes to preventable road deaths.
Because there is sometimes a lag between when a motorist hits a person with a vehicle and when the victim dies, I have found myself adding people weeks, months later. What I said about November tying January 2020 as the deadliest months for pedestrians and cyclists in Connecticut changed. November ended up being the worst.
What we saw in December was more of the same. People unable to make it home safely because of terrible infrastructure combined with careless drivers. News reports using “accident” and passive voice to describe preventable deaths. Victims unidentified weeks later. Maybe never.
In December 2020, five people — that we know of — died from injuries sustained after being hit by motorists. That brings the minimum total for 2020 to 59 pedestrians and six cyclists killed after collisions with vehicles driven by motorists.
I do not recall any newspaper covering this, but on December 4, a 15-year old boy in Windsor was struck by two motorists — one driving a Nissan Altima and the other a Honda Accord. Besides the absence of news attention, this case is notable because in the UConn Crash Data Repository it was noted that the teen was emotional at the time — whether that means he was depressed or angry, or in some other kind of emotional state is unknown. There is no narration in a database, just boxes checked off. The teenager was not been identified.
On the same day, really within the same hour, a Branford motorist struck 71-year old Jean-Marie Goldstein while he was crossing the street near Big Y. Goldstein was pronounced dead at the scene. This happened at 150 Boston Post Road in Milford.
During the first real snow storm of the season, Paul Bonfiglio, 57, was found unconscious in a driveway just before 3 AM. He died at the hospital. It was assumed he had a heart attack while shoveling. Only days later did the story come out that his injuries were actually the result of him getting hit by someone’s vehicle. Between the delay in cause of death and weather conditions at time, who knows how helpful any neighborhood cameras might be in helping to identify a suspect vehicle and operator.
According to his obituary, Paul will be remembered for “his generous spirit, impeccable attendance and passion for photography.” He is being mourned by siblings, cousins, and other family, friends, and neighbors.
On Christmas Eve, 85-year old Ronald Shaw of New York crashed his car into the median of I-84 in Middlebury. He got out and attempted to cross the highway. While crossing the highway, a motorist driving a Toyota Camry struck and killed Shaw when he was in the right lane.
It was a rough year for New Haven. On December 29, a New Haven woman driving a Jeep Liberty struck and killed a man who was crossing Ella Grasso Boulevard somewhere between Printers Lane and Adeline Street. There is a painted crosswalk between those intersections, FYI. As of publication, the victim still has not been identified.
A reflection on this 2020 project, and where it goes next, will be published in a few days. For now, just sit with those names we know and the ones we don’t.
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