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6/15/2012 | By News Editor, Shawn J. Soper

OCEAN CITY -- Yet another pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and seriously injured on Friday, continuing an alarming trend early on in the summer in the resort.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Ocean City Police and paramedics responded to 59th Street and Coastal Highway for a reported pedestrian-vehicle collision. The preliminary investigation revealed an 18-year-old Finksburg, Md. man was part of a group of individuals walking in a marked crosswalk from west to east across Coastal Highway at 59th Street. While the group was in the crosswalk, the pedestrian signal changed from “walk” to “don’t walk.”

The group then turned around to walk back toward the center median on Coastal Highway, but the 18-year-old victim continued to cross the highway against the “don’t walk” signal and was struck by a vehicle traveling north. The pedestrian was seriously injured and was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to PRMC in Salisbury with life-threatening injuries. The driver has not been charged and the investigation continues.

The latest incident continues a weeks-long string of pedestrian-vehicle collisions, two of which resulted in fatalities.

Last Tuesday, a crew chief with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds was attempting to cross Coastal Highway at 54th Street at around 2:30 a.m. and was not in a crosswalk at the time of the collision. The vehicle attempted to swerve to avoid striking the pedestrian, but the victim was struck by the vehicle’s drive side front quarter panel. The 32-year-old Las Vegas man was transported to PRMC and was listed in critical condition as of late last week.

On June 5, a group of individuals were attempting to cross Coastal Highway at 21st Street from east to west to catch a southbound bus. Three of the four crossed against a “don’t walk” signal to the median, then began to run across the southbound lanes of the highway, still against a “don’t walk” signal. One of the three, a 15-year-old Alleghany County girl, was struck in the far right lane adjacent to the bus lane. The victim was transported first to AGH and later transferred to PRMC where she died of injuries sustained in the accident.

On May 28, a 22-year-old Cooksville, Md. man was struck and killed by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the northbound bus lane on Coastal Highway at 54th Street. In that incident, the driver, Diogo Facchini, 30, of Lorton, Va. briefly fled the scene and continued to travel north before turning east onto 55th Street. Witnesses at the scene followed the suspect’s vehicle until police arrived and apprehended Facchini, who has been charged with homicide by motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a fatal collision, driving while intoxicated and impaired and numerous other traffic violations.

There are 10 comment(s).


Visitors are encouraged to cross out of the crosswalks. OC has put those nice pretty pavers in the median strip for us to stand on when we get halfway across. Then we can can dart across the HIGHWAY,and hopefully not be killed before we get to the other side. The solution is to put a fence, barricade, etc. along the median. This would force the pedestrians to walk to the end of the block and cross at the crosswalk. You know who will oppose this? The OC citizen; 'stupid tourist, shouldn't have been in the street', and the T-shirt vendor in the middle of the block. He knows the vacationer won't walk to the end of the block, cross and come back. No more OC for me, I'll go to VA Beach, and come home alive.
submitted by Uncle Bob on August 16, 2012 at 04:55 am
I just left Ocean City yesterday and as a person that both drove and walked around, I was terrified either way. I was reluctant to cross the street even when the signal said 'walk' for fear of the drivers not paying attention and I was terrifed to drive even less than the posted speed limit for fear of hitting people (mostly unsupervised teenage kids) that would stand almost right off the sidewalk NOT in a crosswalk.
submitted by Deanna on June 20, 2012 at 09:31 am
I like the idea of changing the speed limit. People drive way too fast. It has worked in Bethany. The city could make a lot of money on speeding tickets!
submitted by Dana Siegel on June 20, 2012 at 08:41 am
Jaywalkers or not, people need to watch where they are driving instead of texting, looking at girls in bikinis, or being intoxicated which is usually the cause of most of these accidents. Yes the pedestrians are pretty stupid for not using the crosswalks. But the drivers are pretty stupid too 90% of the time. It's going to take more cooperation from everybody. OC has NEVER been a pedestrian friendly town, and it seems that the locals are the ones defending the drivers because they never step foot outside of their cars or houses and have forgotten what it feels like to walk for a change. You go to any city out west with populations that TRUMP Ocean City's, and you will see people stopping even when people at are the sidewalks looking like they are going to cross. You stop. Wait for them to cross. Then drive. Hell, in Berlin you could get run over in the Food Lion parking lot if you're not careful.
submitted by Joseph on June 19, 2012 at 02:55 am
OCMD is doing enough. you can not legislate against stupidity.

DO NOT CROSS when not in a cross walk and when not on a walk signal.


submitted by tim on June 19, 2012 at 01:39 am
Last season the light at Jamestown Road (17th Street)was only about 21 seconds for the pedestrian to cross which is not enough time. Many of the drivers who are making right turns onto Ocean Highway are not waiting for the pedestrian to cross first.
submitted by Donna Karpenko on June 18, 2012 at 09:45 am
This is not Ocean City's first time at the rodeo and it should be better prepared to keep its visitors safe. The ultimate insult is sending signals that we are welcome but not provided Coastal Highway with lower speed limits, crossings guards proper signage as to where to cross and well times cross walk signals. It's all very poor! WE pour our money into shops, hotels, condos, and entertainment venues that keep this city alive! We keep you alive, you have a responsibility to do all you can to keep us alive!
submitted by dml on June 18, 2012 at 08:50 am
OCMD CAN DO MUCH MORE TO PREVENT IT'S VISITORS FDROM BEING MAIMED OR KILLED BY TRAFFIC, IN MY OPINION. WHERE ARE THE CROSSING GUARDS ONCE THE CITY IS INHABITED with out of school seniots, grads and families with children. The lights along coastal hwghwy. do NOT give a person, especially with children, or elderly or people toting beach paraphanila a fair chance at crossing. THE SPEED LIMIT IS WAY TOO FAST ALONG COASTAL HWGH FOR A TOWN THAT HAS PRACTICALLY BECOME A DISNEY WORLD OF PEOPLE. SHAME ON OCMD FOR NOT DOING ALL THEY CAN TO PREVENT THESE DEATHS AND LIFE CHANGING INJURIES.
submitted by mll on June 18, 2012 at 07:43 am
Pretty sure those being struck are not reading the local papers. Message should be on SHA signs and possibly banners as you enter into town.
submitted by Sandi on June 18, 2012 at 01:47 am
OK - all the money on advertising and signage about crossing in the crosswalk IS NOT WORKING. Visitor's will walk six blocks to the beach but not two blocks to cross at a light. Maybe once they get to town it's too late. Instead of advertising in local papers, advertise in nearby state's local newspapers?
submitted by Melody McSweeney on June 18, 2012 at 01:00 am

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