A nine-year-old bicyclist only sustained minor injuries after being hit by a car while biking across the street in Secaucus, a trend that has been on an upward swing in recent weeks, police said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The incident occurred yesterday and the preliminary investigation indicates that the driver of the vehicle was unable to see the child over the SUV hood. The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, according to Police Det. Sgt. Michael Torres.
Over the past two weeks, there have been four bicyclists struck by a vehicle, two of which were children under the age of 16 years old. Additionally, two pedestrians have been struck by vehicles in that time frame as well. None of the six people struck were seriously injured, officials said.
In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study said that a total of 4,884 pedestrians and 726 bicyclists were killed across the country.
In 2015, Secaucus had one pedestrian fatality and 17 other pedestrians were struck by vehicles, authorities said.
In a news release, the department also said that warm weather, as well as the popularity of the Pokemon Go game, has increased pedestrian traffic and asks for drivers and pedestrians alike to stay alert at all times.
The Secaucus Police Department’s Traffic Division can be reached at traffic@secaucus.net.
