Local Video
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| Woman in fatal accident ID'ed |
By: By SUZANNE ROOK
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Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 8:38 am
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UPDATE! 12:25 p.m.
Police have identified the woman killed just before 7:30 this morning as she and her husband were out for a morning walk.
Helen Elizabeth and Ronald George Zaun were crossing Division Street as they walked west on Jefferson Parkway, witnesses told police.
Northfield Police Chief Mark Taylor said the Zauns were in the crosswalk when they were struck by a red pickup truck. The driver of the truck, Corwyn Lee Pulju, 45, was headed east on Jefferson and turned north onto Division after stopping at the stop sign.
Helen Zaun, 66, was declared dead at the scene. Ronald Zaun, 67, suffered head injuries and was transported by helicopter from Northfield Hospital to a Twin Cities hospital, Taylor said. The severity of his injuries is not yet known.
State law gives the right-of-way to pedestrians in the crosswalk, Taylor said, adding that it’s not yet known where the couple were in the crosswalk. A reconstruction of the accident is being completed by the state patrol, Taylor said. It may be several weeks before its findings are released.
Taylor said it’s too early to know whether charges will be filed in connection with the accident. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected, he said.
The intersection is under review as part of a $30,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant awarded last month to the city and its Non-motorized Transportation Task Force. The task force, in its grant application, said that the intersection, which is adjacent to three schools, is unsafe.
Task force members Bill Ostrem and Randy Perkins last November said particular attention needed to be paid to the intersection, asking for improved signage and striping on Jefferson Parkway and Division Street. Reduced speed limits and walkway and bikeway plans, they hoped, would also be part of the plan.
The speed limit on southbound Division Street/Hwy. 246 south of Jefferson Parkway is 55 mph; 40 mph heading north.
Money for proposed improvements is not included in the grant.
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact Taylor at 645-4477.
— Suzanne Rook can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113.
UPDATE! 10:45 a.m.
A Northfield woman was killed just before 7:30 this morning as she and her husband were out for a morning walk.
Witnesses have told police that the couple, whose identities haven’t yet been made public, were crossing Division Street as they walked west on Jefferson Parkway.
Northfield Police Chief Mark Taylor said the couple was in the crosswalk when they were struck by a pickup truck. The driver of the truck, whose name hasn’t been released, was headed east on Jefferson and turned north onto Division after stopping at the stop sign.
The 66-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene. Her husband suffered head injuries and was transported by helicopter from Northfield Hospital to a Twin Cities hospital, Taylor said. The severity of his injuries is not yet known.
State law gives the right-of-way to pedestrians in the crosswalk, Taylor said, adding that it’s not yet known where the couple were in the crosswalk. A reconstruction of the accident is being completed by the state patrol, Taylor said. It may be several weeks before its findings are released.
Taylor said it’s too early to know whether charges will be filed in connection with the accident. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected, he said.
The intersection is under review as part of a $30,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant awarded last month to the city and its Non-motorized Transportation Task Force. The task force, in its grant application, said that the intersection, which is adjacent to three schools, is unsafe.
Task force members Bill Ostrem and Randy Perkins last November said particular attention needed to be paid to the intersection, asking for improved signage and striping on Jefferson Parkway and Division Street. Reduced speed limits and walkway and bikeway plans, they hoped, would also be part of the plan.
The speed limit on southbound Division Street/Hwy. 246 south of Jefferson Parkway is 55 mph; 40 mph heading north.
Money for proposed improvements is not included in the grant.
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact Taylor at 645-4477.
— Suzanne Rook can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113.
(8:45 a.m. version)
A husband and wife on their morning walk were struck by a truck just after 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Hwy. 246/Division Street and Jefferson Parkway.
The woman, whom the police would not identify, was declared dead at the scene. The man was transported to Northfield Hospital.
Capt. Roger Schroeder of the Northfield Police Department said the man appeared "banged up" but was otherwise OK.
Schroeder said a older model red Ford was heading east on Jefferson and was taking a left onto Division and didn't see the couple. The driver, who was alone in the truck at the time of the accident, was cooperating with police.
The woman's body remained at the scene until a Minnesota State Patrol accident reconstruction expert could arrive to investigate. Hwy. 246 is a state road.
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What a terrible tragedy; my heart goes out to the pedestrians in the intersection along with the driver of the vehicle. My son and I came upon this accident this morning only moments after it had happened. Hopefully officials will see this as a warning sign and be pro-active in moving forward to make this busy stretch of highway safer before another tragic accident occurs.
This is indeed a tragedy, but I hope people don't overreact. This is a safe, clearly visible, well-marked four-way stop. It is busy less than 15 minutes each morning and afternoon on school days and otherwise is a quiet intersection. A light is expensive and would let traffic on a green light through without stopping at all, making it even more dangerous.
Let's mourn the death of a neighbor and all pay closer attention as we drive everywhere in town.
I agree that a light certainly wouldn't solve the problems- it invites people to speed and rush the yellow. With the 4 way stop everyone has to stop and theoretically look before proceeding. However, the safety of the intersection could certainly be improved. The presence of a uniformed police officer or of adult crossing guards during those times when children, young drivers, and rushed parents are all converging on the intersection at the same time would improve safety tremendously. I use the intersection on a daily basis- sometimes in car and sometimes on foot- and while visibility is good and the stop signs are obvious, not everyone takes the time to stop and look. A police officer or crossing guard with a bright orange vest and flag would put another person there to help look out for the pedestrians- and cause motorists to come to a full stop and look carefully before proceeding. Any one of us could easily be in either position here- the driver or the pedestrian- everyone makes mistakes at one point or another and with some extra reminders/eyes at that intersection during busy times mistakes would be fewer and hopefully no more lives would be lost.
The stretch of 246 from County Road 1 into town is so dangerous. To adequately address the situation at the intersection of Jefferson and 246, we need to consider a broad solution that includes the entire area. If I'm not mistaken, the posted speed limit near the middle school is 55, then slows to 40. Considering all the activity in that area, I'd say that's a bit fast. I wouldn't be too upset if stoplights were placed at both the County 1 and Jefferson intersections. In general, Northfield isn't the safest place for people to walk. I walk downtown daily, and drivers regularly fail to yield at crosswalks. I'm not sure if that's an enforcement issue or a lack of understanding of traffic laws by drivers. Probably, it's both. This morning's accident was so terrible, and my heart goes out to everyone involved. We all need to work harder so that crashes like this can be prevented.
A traffic light and reduced speed limit would definitely make this area safer for everyone- in addition to easing traffic flow at busy times. I drop off at the High School every morning and making a left turn from the parking lot onto 246 is very difficult and dangerous. With the number children and vehicles in this area--even if only for a short time each day--a traffic light seams a pretty small price to pay for all of our safety. I agree with MFG in having a stop light at CR 1 and Jefferson, along with lowering the speed limit.
Uniformed officer? Traffic light? Reduced speed limit? The driver could be have been talking on the cell phone and simply not paying attention. Condolences to the husband and family.
right, so maybe an officer, light, or reduced speed limit would have gotten his attention? Half of the pedestrian crossings are faded to invisibility as it is -- a person in an orange vest can indeed help slow down busy or dangerous intersections. God forbid our taxes would go up and actually pay to protect innocent citizens.
A four-way stop means he was coming off a dead stop and not speeding. If there were a light and he and the pedestrians had a green light, he would have been going even faster as he turned...If he was headed eastbound, he might have been looking into the sun, or momentarily distracted...no light would change that.
Having a crossing guard to work with kids to teach them -- and the drivers -- crossing safety on school days might be good, but using a trained police officer for that job isn't efficient or necessary.
The bottom line is that people have to pay attention when they drive and walk. Mistakes happen, sometimes tragic ones.