Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 9:17 AM
Town Square
Worker hit by car at Page Mill Road in Palo Alto
Original post made on Jun 16, 2009
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 9:17 AM
Comments (10)
Posted by YSK
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Jun 16, 2009 at 10:34 am
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Jun 16, 2009 at 10:34 am
If he saw the guy, and the roadworker why didn't he slow way down??? I've seen too many just blow past road crews with barely a tap on their brakes.
Posted by Kevin
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:08 am
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:08 am
Seems strange to me as well. I agree, people don't take enough care when near pedestrians and work crews
Posted by Dave
a resident of Stanford
on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:18 am
a resident of Stanford
on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:18 am
That is also an active horse crossing area and people frequently drive at or above posted speed with the assumption it is safe. With the safety trucks out, logic would say slow down and look.
Posted by Anonymous
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 17, 2009 at 7:34 am
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 17, 2009 at 7:34 am
The impact threw the man 50 feet. If the Land Cruiser attempted to slow down, from the tire marks it should be possible to determine the braking distance. It should be possible to estimate the speed of the Toyota at the time of impact and approximately the speed before emergency braking. It isn't obvious to me that the driver was not violating the basic speed law.
Posted by someone who knows the real story
a resident of another community
on Jun 17, 2009 at 8:18 am
a resident of another community
on Jun 17, 2009 at 8:18 am
There were no traffic cones posted, no traffic signs up, no traffic control. When the man moved away from the lane the driver was in, the driver continued going. He was going the speed limit when the man suddenly (with his back turned to the oncoming traffic) moved back into the lane the driver of the Toyota was in.
Why weren't there any traffic cones up? Why was nobody directing traffic? Here you have a man contracted by Santa Clara County to take measurements (likey to give a bid on how much it will cost to do the work) and he was doing all of this with no traffic control and no regard to his own safety.
Posted by anon
a resident of another community
on Jun 17, 2009 at 8:46 am
a resident of another community
on Jun 17, 2009 at 8:46 am
Web Link
read the comments here to see what people who witnessed the accident said
Posted by Anonymous
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 17, 2009 at 3:49 pm
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 17, 2009 at 3:49 pm
The posted speed limit is not the legal speed limit when workers safety is impaired. Here is the wording from the California Vehicle Code section 22350: "No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable... and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property."
Posted by Palo Parent
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Jun 17, 2009 at 4:14 pm
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Jun 17, 2009 at 4:14 pm
What the heck is a 72 year old guy doing working in an active roadway? If it were his fault alone, wouldn't natural selection have caught up to him wwwaaayyy earlier?
Posted by Anonymous
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 18, 2009 at 11:02 am
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 18, 2009 at 11:02 am
"The posted speed limit is not the legal speed limit when workers safety is impaired."
That's all well and good if there's rain or fog or actual "Road Work" signs, but how are you supposed to know that a road worker is going to be running out in front of your car when you're driving at a reasonable and safe 50 MPH?
Posted by cal
a resident of another community
on Jun 22, 2009 at 10:43 pm
a resident of another community
on Jun 22, 2009 at 10:43 pm
note to self: don't walk into traffic during rush hour
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