A car hit a family of four walking along the shoulder of a roadway in Connecticut. The pedestrian accident resulted in two members of the family being hospitalized with what doctors are characterizing as critical injuries. Both the vehicle and the pedestrians were apparently traveling east at the time of the accident.
The accident occurred at approximately 11:19 a.m. Reports suggested that snow remaining on the road from a recent blizzard might have helped cause the accident by reducing visibility on the road. Drivers should, of course, have been exercising extreme caution in light of the recent inclement weather and resulting highway conditions.
Two other members of the family were also hit. One luckily escaped with no serious injuries, while the other person suffered injuries reported by police as relatively minor.
Emergency responders summoned to the scene made sure the injured received medical attention and were transported to a nearby medical facility. Police closed off the road for a period of time to gather physical evidence, take witness statements and begin an investigation into the causes of the accident. Debris from the accident was removed from the highway as was the vehicle. The investigation is ongoing. To date, there are no reported indications that speeding, texting, or the use of drugs or alcohol played any part in causing the accident, but no final report has been issued.
Police have suggested that in bad weather pedestrians either avoid walking on the side of a road with substantial amounts of traffic or else at least walk against the flow of traffic so that they can see oncoming vehicles.
