From the WBOC website:
"Witnesses say the pedestrian ran across the westbound lanes, entered the median and fell into the path of a 2008 Jeep Wrangler driven by Luis A. Rodriguez, 29, of Massapequa Park, N.Y.
The teen was transported by Ocean City EMS and pronounced deceased at Atlantic General Hospital.
Authorities say both directions of Route 50 were shut down for four hours.
According to detectives, through field sobriety tests it was found that Rodriguez was intoxicated.
Rodriguez was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol perse and driving while impaired. He was taken before the District Court Commissioner and held on $5,000 bond."
The teen was transported by Ocean City EMS and pronounced deceased at Atlantic General Hospital.
Authorities say both directions of Route 50 were shut down for four hours.
According to detectives, through field sobriety tests it was found that Rodriguez was intoxicated.
Rodriguez was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol perse and driving while impaired. He was taken before the District Court Commissioner and held on $5,000 bond."
25 comments:
Would be interesting to know if the pedestrian was also intoxicated. May answer why he stumbled into the roadway.
Joe,
Last night I was on my way to AGH and I saw a sign that said Route 50 was closed. I went to AGH and was seen in the ER for chest pain. About 10 minutes into my stay the mother of the young boy came into the ER, looking for her son. Although I could not see her I could hear everything. It was the worst thing I've ever listened to.
To the woman I know only by voice, I know this hurts, it will for a long time. I hope you have a strong network of friends and family around to help support you through this time. Don't give up. You and your family will be in my thoughts for a long long time to come.
I sorry about your baby.
-RRS
A little over $500.00 and he can walk out. Seems low to me.
Same thing happened to my kids a couple of years ago in the same exact spot.
Some guy stumbled into the road and chain reaction of screeching brakes and sliding cars ensued.
Thank God, this guy was not struck, and Thank God, my kid didn't strike him since my kid was the lead car in the pack, and his sister was driving behind him and she rear ended him.
It could have been the same scenario...maybe even the same person who decided to take his shortcut again last night!
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this child.
Be careful crossing the streets in Ocean City. Even if you are in the clear you never know what drivers might do on any given night. I don't know what happened but it should have been prevented.
Police need to do a better job of trying to stop drinking and driving in Ocean City.
I say this from my experience commuting back to Salisbury after work in Ocean City.
I drove on 50W last night around approximately 12AM and had a car just pull out of a side street into oncoming traffic without looking and almost caused a bad accident. The night before on 50W I had to come to swerve and come to a complete stop because a car tried to change lanes right into me. No regard for anyone. I hate driving back at night from Ocean City because I feel like I'm the only one not driving under the influence.
I'm sure they try to do the best job they can but I hope they really amp it up. Whether that be sobriety checkpoints right off the bridge. Whatever. I'm all for it.
Yes, drunk driving is a serious problem, but so are kids who run out into traffic.
In a pedestrian vs. vehicle battle, guess who is going to win?
My heart goes out to the parents of this youngster, but being familiar with the attitudes and lack of judgement displayed by many kids of that age group, trying to run across 50 (not a good idea in daylight) does not surprise me. A sober driver could have easily killed him.
Yeah... Jaywalking is an easy way to get yourself killed in OC. Not pointing any fingers at this tragedy... But a lot of people are "Walking under the influence" and not in a state of mind to even use crosswalks, even worse, at NIGHT! Witnessed this on a few occasions Friday night...
1:24 Now take your single experience from last night and multiply it by multiple experiences and investigations involving deaths by collisions, accidents, suicides, and homicides over a 25-30 year career and you'll understand why cops have issues with alcohol abuse, anti-social behaviors, a morbid sense of humor, and early deaths.
Both driver and the 16 year old are at fault here. Negligence on both sides. What a disaster.
The child was 16 years old and was not intoxicated. Ease up !!! If it was your child is the first thing you want to ask was he intoxicated???
He ran across the median, sounds like they both screwed up
Touchy subject but the kid ran into traffic and fell down but someone who happened to be driving drunk. Doesn't sound like it was the fault of the driver....just double jeopordy.
Yes, if the child was mine, I would ask for a full toxicology report. Sober, rational people of that age should know better than to try to cross 4-6 lanes of traffic.
..I made no accusations of this particular pedestrian.. And it's always a tragedy. Just saying it's just as bad to drink and walk in OC as it is to drink and drive... But this shows that it doesn't even take drinking to make a fatal walking decision in OC. The driver was drunk, and I'm not defending someone getting a DUI, because they were in the wrong, but like others have said--sober drivers can't stop from hitting pedestrians a lot of the time either, probably why no mention of a vehicular manslaughter charge...
Those who think that "sober, rational people" don't try to cross 4 to 6 lanes of traffic has either never had a teenager or never worked with them. Many teens think that they are invisible, that tragedy will never befall them. We, as adults, know better. To the family of the young man, I am so very sorry for your loss. Although words cannot heal the pain you are feeling, know that many are grieving for you and have you and your family in their thoughts and prayers. I know you are in mine.
Yep, OC is such a family resort. There's a bar on every corner. I think most people who come out of OC are probably at least half lit. I know many people who go to OC and get trashed and drive home. The cops usually don't do a whole lot. If the cops start truly enforcing the drinking law, at least 3/4 of the town would be in jail. What a horrible tragedy for the family. I can't even imagine what they are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
6:06 You must not be a parent. Let the grieving happen. I can see you now... Hey doc dig in there and tell me if MY child was drunk or on drugs at the time of his mistake. Then we will take on the task of the death. Just wanted to know for me and everyone else...
GOOD LUCK IN PARENTING YOU NEED IT!!!
9:10 - You are the type of parent who needs help. You obviously have no clue what the overwhelming majority of kids do these days, or wait - you might be one of the parents that partakes of illegal substances as an 'adult'(probably with with their kids). And there are LOTS of those parents.
I would want to know everything I could about why my child had chosen to attempt something foolish. If they were drunk/high, so be it. It would help make sense out of something senseless.
If you are an honest parent you know those things already 10:33. Good luck again in parenting 101. You will need it and not micro managing 101...
People think they can beat the vehicles. they have the signs hat say when to cross. just like vehicles, you walk through a free to walk sign, then you should be charges for walking through a non free to walk sign.
8:57 where have you been genius, it's called jaywalking and you there are charges for it einstein.
Anon 2:55
Which is it? I believe you have contradicted yourself and personally, I feel the first statement you made is the correct one. You can't have it both ways though.
"Police need to do a better job of trying to stop drinking and driving"
and then
"I'm sure they try to do the best job they can"
This is something that really irritates me, people coming out on some sort of subject and then by the time they're done, they've caved and get kiss up.
People really should proofread their posts after they've typed it to see if after they are done typing their view on the issue has changed, which is what appears to have happened here in the one I'm referring to.
I spend alot of time in OC during the summer and am simply amazed at the number of pedestrians who ignore signals and crosswalks.
Think about it.The odds are on any summer day that the majority of drivers in OC have been on the beach..on the water and or drinking. The effects of summer heat wind and sunglare over the course of a day can be as bad as drinking in terms of the impact in your reflexes.
I have told my house visitors for years to treat traffic on Coastal HWY as though the majority of drivers are impaired.
Along with sun glaze and alcohol you have to bear in mind that many of these drivers are visitors and unfamiliar with the location of places they are looking for and therefore distracted.
What a tragedy on both sides. I had lived and worked in OC for a number of years, and knew many people that worked for the OCPD. I've experienced it myself-people just run out in front of your car, like they are bullet proof (or in this case car proof). It's not "cool" to cross at the crosswalk, it's cooler to dodge traffic. There all kinds of what ifs, shoulda, coulda, woulda, but none of that matters for the victim or the person that hit him. I don't condone drinking or driving, but a sober person would have hit him too. Now that driver has to live with this the rest of his life. Also, it's bad enough when young people run out in traffic, but it really burns me up to see so-called parents dragging their children across Coastal Highway, jaywalking. What kind of lesson is that?
My heart goes out to both families.
Happens on Rt. 13 too-remember the Pocomoke woman that got hit walking into traffic by the Wal-Mart?
This is why I moved my kids out of the OC area and never let them go there unchaperoned. And don't flame me-I'm not blaming anyone.
BTW, this accident happened in
State Police jurisdiction. OCPD don't have any jurisdiction over the bridge.
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