Pedestrian airlifted after being hit by car

By: Tyler Murphy, Sun Staff Writer
Published: August 27th, 2008

NORWICH – Residents along North Broad Street in the City of Norwich were awoken last night by police and fire sirens as emergency crews responded to a pedestrian being struck by a car.

Claude F. Cooper, 73, of Norwich, was airlifted to Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City after he was struck by a 2002 Ford Escort driven by Michael S. Novack, 52, of Norwich, as he attempted to cross the street.

The accident took place at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on North Broad Street near Lackawanna Avenue as Novack traveled north.

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Reader Response

9 comments on this story

AROD3KS
August 29th, 2008 at 9:30 am
i know really..lets blame the poor elderly man that got run over with not having any common sense.
justaguy
August 29th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Seems to me that common sense has left the building.
AROD3KS
August 28th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
WHO SAID HE WALKED IN FRONT OF A MOVING VEHICLE, I DIDNT SEE THAT ANYWHERE? I SEE PEOPLE CROSSING ALL OVER THE PLACE AND JUST BECAUSE ITS NOT A CROSS WALK DOESNT MEAN IM JUST GOING TO RUN THEM OVER BECAUSE I HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. ITS COMMON SENSE.
circe
August 27th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
SECTIONS OF THE VEHICLE & TRAFFIC LAW PERTAINING TO BICYCLES & PEDESTRIANS

Section 1152. Crossing at other than crosswalks.
(a) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point OTHER THAN within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection SHALL YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY TO ALL VEHICLES upon the roadway.
voiceofdiscord
August 27th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
At the age of 73 then yes, he defniately should have known better than to step into the path of a moving car.
Pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk when it is safe to cross. They don't have the right to walk out in front of a 2 ton chunk of metal that takes 50' to 100' to stop. It takes the person trying to cross the street one step to stop.
Also, why is it that people in Greene, Oxford, Sherburne, Binghamton, etc don't just step in front of cars and expect them to stop?
circe
August 27th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Pedestrians only have the right of way if they are in a crosswalk or at a light. Read the laws, they do NOT have the right of way anywhere else in the road. Doesn't matter how old or young they are, they still need to obey the laws.

Only in Norwich do I see people crossing the streets anywhere they want to. Everyone else seems to obey the laws.
AROD3KS
August 27th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
first off this was not a child, it was a 73 yr old man...and second pedestrians have the right of way. i think people in vehicles are the ones that need to watch what they are doing.
issylu
August 27th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Seeing that the victim is 73 years old must be his parents didn't tell him how to safely get across before the Model T came down the street!!
voiceofdiscord
August 27th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Well, if you step in front of a moving car they are supposed to slam on their brakes and stop right? Norwich is the only place I've ever been where parents obviously have never taught their children how to cross the street safely. Perhaps if people were educated in this matter a little better, Norwich wouldn't have the high number of pedestrian/vehicle accidents it has.
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