Crosswalk May Not Have Saved Worcester Teen Killed Crossing Belmont: Data

WORCESTER, MA — A little over two years ago, a driver hit Candice Asare-Yeboah while she crossed Stafford Street in a marked crosswalk with her mother. The 5-year-old died weeks later.

Nearly two weeks ago, Gianna Rose Simoncini, 13, died after a driver hit her while she was crossing Belmont Street outside a crosswalk just west of Lake Quinsigamond. The teen was hit in between two crosswalks spaced a 1/2 mile apart, an area frequently used by pedestrians trying to cross Belmont from a residential area on one side of the street to the UMass Chan campus on the other.

On social media, many jumped on Simoncini for not using a crosswalk.

"If you don’t know how to use a crosswalk that’s 30 feet away from you, yes, you are the problem," on commenter wrote below a Facebook discussion about the collision.

"Maybe if they arrest them and charge them for what they’re doing, they won’t keep playing human 'Frogger,'" another added in the thread.

Many offered the suggestion that a crosswalk should be installed halfway between Plantation Street and Lake Avenue to accommodate pedestrians like Simoncini. But according to MassDOT data — and recent deaths in Worcester — crosswalks aren't always a safety guarantee for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, especially if a driver is speeding or distracted.

According to state data, over 16 percent of statewide pedestrian deaths between Jan. 1, 2019 and June 30 happened after a collision in a crosswalk. About 32 percent of pedestrians seriously injured by a driver were in a crosswalk at the time of collision, according to the data.

Here's a look at MassDOT data show injuries and deaths inside and outside of crosswalks:

In total, the state recorded 3,950 pedestrian incidents outside a crosswalk from Jan. 1, 2019 to June 30, and 3,895 inside a crosswalk. Those incidents range from death to suspected injuries to no injury at all. The MassDOT data did show that raised crosswalks are often safer than painted ones. There were no deaths and only two suspected serious injury collisions over that period in raised crosswalks.

Asare-Yeboah is just one example of many pedestrians who died trying to cross safely: Earlier this year, Gracie Gancheva, 4, died after a pickup truck driver hit her in a crosswalk near the Boston Children's Museum; in 2018, a texting driver hit and killed Gabriella Lowell in a crosswalk along Grafton Street in Worcester — city installed a flashing beacon to illuminate the crosswalk in 2021; in 2022, Ghufran Mutar, 20, was crossing Route 9 in a crosswalk when a driver hit and killed her, and then fled the scene.

Research on pedestrian deaths and injuries indicates that crosswalks can often be dangerous for a variety of reasons: long crossing distances, high road speeds, poor lighting, parking that blocks sight lines, allowing right-on-red turns and the presence of commercial businesses.

Bystanders who witnessed Simoncini's collision say the girl waited until traffic was clear to run across the six-lane road, but the driver who hit her came "out of nowhere" possibly speeding.

In Worcester, efforts are underway to improve crossings for vulnerable users. Work is ongoing on Burncoat, Grove and Stafford streets that would "daylight" crosswalks, creating a buffer around marked crossings that can't be blocked by parked cars.

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista has also asked city councilors to lower the citywide speed limit from 30 to 25. According to city officials, about nine out of 10 pedestrians survive a collision at 25 mph versus five out of 10 at 30 mph. The speed reduction, however, would not affect the stretch of Belmont where Simoncini died. State regulations control speeds along some Worcester roads, including Belmont, Gold Star Boulevard, Park Avenue, Main Street west of Park Avenue and Stafford Street — where Asare-Yeboah was hit by driver Christopher Remillard, who was speeding, according to charges filed by the Worcester County District Attorney.