The pedestrian crossing at Camino del Rio and Seventh Street has been the scene of two vehicle-pedestrian accidents this year, but the Colorado Department of Transportation does not plan to make any additional changes.
In an effort to make the intersection safer for pedestrians, CDOT recently added a median refuge island in the middle of the intersection which shortened the crossing distance, said Nancy Shanks, CDOT spokeswoman.
The most recent accident happened at 12:20 p.m. June 26, when Arizona resident William Coggin, 69, hit a 14-year-old boy attempting to go across the crosswalk at the intersection, said Lt. Ray Shupe with the Durango Police Department.
The driver was traveling northbound as the young man was crossing Camino del Rio from the east side of the street, Shupe said.
Coggin was not written a citation because there was conflicting information about if the crossing signal was activated, he said.
“The statute says that if you are a pedestrian, you do have the right of way, but you have to give oncoming traffic enough notice to stop for you,” Shupe said.
Several witnesses said that the young man ran across the street into traffic, he said.
“Another possibility is that a pedestrian may have tripped the signal and gone across the intersection already and then the young man came in at the end of the cycle,” Shupe said.
The boy was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center with a head injury, he said.
Just two months before, on April 8, Thomas Skurky, a Fort Lewis College professor, was hit at the same intersection by Ignacio resident Ian Thompson.
Thompson was traveling southbound on Camino del Rio while Skurky, who was on his bike, was attempting to cross from the east side of the street, according to the police report.
Thompson failed to yield at the pedestrian crosswalk and hit Skurky, according to the police report.
Skurky said the impact sent him flying 15 feet, and his head hit the ground first. He was wearing a helmet.
Skurky said before crossing the street, he activated the pedestrian crosswalk, and he made sure the southbound traffic had stopped.
Durango Emergency Medical Services arrived and treated Skurky while on-scene. Thompson was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and failing to present proof of insurance, according to the police report.
Additionally, two vehicle accidents have occurred at the intersection after abrupt stops for a pedestrians.
On June 3, John West of Birmingham, Alabama, stopped at the intersection to allow a pedestrian to cross when Bayfield resident, Tyler Rodman, driving a 1994 Ford F-150, collided front-to-rear with Birmingham’s 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Neither of the drivers was injured, but both vehicles sustained damage, according to the police report.
On Oct. 21, Durango resident Lesha Powell stopped abruptly at the intersection, allowing a pedestrian to cross the road when Durango resident James Graden, driving a truck towing a trailer, hit the back of Powell’s car, according to a police report.
It is state law that drivers yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. The rectangular rapid flash beacon, used to caution motorists, has been at the crosswalk since September 2011, Shanks said.
The flashing beacons cost about $15,000 to install and were jointly funded by CDOT, Durango’s Multi-modal unit, Southwest Community College and the Durango Education Center.
“We helped fund it because lots of our students use public transportation, and we wanted to create a safer crossing,” said Teresa Malone, executive director of the Durango Education Center.
Since the flashing beacons have been installed, Malone said no students or users of the building have been in an accident at the intersection. In addition to the Durango Education Center, the building also houses Southwest Colorado Community College, Alternative Horizons and other small organizations and businesses.
When preparing to cross the road, it is crucial that pedestrians activate the beacon by pressing the button below the sign, Shanks said.
Once the beacons have been activated, yellow caution lights begin to flash to inform drivers of a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
Once pedestrians reach the island median, they must activate another beacon to finish crossing the intersection, Malone said.
After activating the beacon, pedestrians should make sure vehicles have come to a complete stop before crossing the road, Shanks said.
When drivers traveling along Camino del Rio see the flashing beacon, it is important that they look for pedestrians, Shanks added.
“If the pedestrian has left the crosswalk, it is OK to proceed, but it is always a good idea to scan the crosswalk and make sure no one else is waiting,” Shanks said.
It is a congested stretch of road, and traffic volumes will continue to increase throughout the summer. There are a lot of visitors in town on bikes and on foot, Shanks said.
tferraro@durangoherald.com
