Pedestrian couple killed on Belmont Ave. identified

"...[W]alked into the path of the van..." another version of this article claims the police are saying.

Are you kidding me??? As if the pedestrians are at fault for walking across a roadway? The van had no autonomous driver at the controls? Stupid, stupid officials are using language here that accuses the pedestrians and defends the driver. I find this OFFENSIVE. Do your f-ing jobs police and prosecutor. Defend the victims- the pedestrians. These people are DEAD as a direct result of the careless actions of this driver, not from walking into the "...path of the van." The van has no path beyond which the driver has chosen. The driver is responsible. I am outraged at the response of our justice system on this.

I have been to the scene of the accident. I have spoken to several eyewitnesses. This poor elderly couple was almost completely across the street, about to exit the fourth of four lanes when they looked away from the empty lane of oncoming traffic to make their way up onto the grassy shoulder. There is a construction zone a hundred yards from the impact point where only one lane, the passing lane, is open. The driver traveled through this one-lane zone then changed her travel to the curb lane just before she struck the pedestrians. The DRIVER struck the pedestrians, not the van.

Daylight. Dry. Traffic in one lane. Why did this happen? Sedatives? Sleeping aid? Prescription medication? Narcotics? Cell phone? Radio station change? Lighting a smoke? We may never know on some of these because the driver was not arrested nor tested in any way. Nice job public employees. Nice job.

Lemme see if I got this straight: No seatbelt=detain, citation, fine, points. Failure to use signal=detain, citation, fine points. Driving under suspension=arrest, tow, charges, court appearances, threat of jail, fines, points, fees, house arrest, community service, record. One blip over the limit=arrest, tow, charges, court appearances, threat of jail, fines, points, fees, house arrest, points, record. Kill two pedestrians=released without citation, officials falling all over themselves to defend the driver. Yes, makes perfect sense. I'm so mad I could spit in your stupid eyes. You guys are a G-D, F-ing outrageous disgrace!

I drive through this region all the time and know what drivers do here. It never fails. Some impatient driver tailgates all the way through this short construction zone then zips around to pass on the right just after the end of the zone- especially if the traffic light is about to turn red. People do this all the time. Dollars to pesos says this woman was impatient and zipped out to pass on the right and make it through the light as she exited the one-lane zone. Doing this would put her on a collision course with the pedestrians and she would not have seen them until she cleared the vehicle in front of her. By then it would have been too late. As was the case.

Witnesses need to come forward if this is what happened. I have seen many. many aggressive drivers absolutely "floor it," nearly rub your bumper off on the way past and pass on the right exactly where these people were killed. During any one of those times I have seen aggressive drivers do this any pedestrian or other thing in that lane would likely have been hit. The driver passing on the right has little or no visibility of the lane until they swerve out into it. There would not be time to stop. This driver did change to the curb lane just before she hit and killed the elderly couple, that is a fact

These poor elderly people just wanted to cross the street from their hotel, where they had just checked in, to go to Denny's for dinner. And this driver killed them. Where is the justice for them and their families? Not in Youngstown that's for sure.

Great job public employees.

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content...

"Paul Hartman, 25, a manager at nearby Wendy's restaurant on Belmont, said he was at work when he heard a "smack" and "a bang" and saw a body thrown into the air."

I see no mention of hard braking or screeching tires . A body thrown into the air signifies high speed . A lane change before impact would have kept the pedestrians hid until impact .

i drove past the acident scene....the couple 100% was jaywalking.....the accident scene was 100 ft from the intersection going toward the intersection

If you walk in front of a moving vehicle dont be surprised if something bad happens to you

incidentally one witness claims a second vehicle motioned them to cross and would have blocked the view from the woman in the van as well.
where this happened there are 2 lanes open, it was not in the funneled down section.

As someone who knows these two amazing people, it's incredibly insulting that there are even slightly negative comments on this article. And the sheer nerve it takes to even consider that it was their fault for crossing the street. A pedestrian always has the right of way and the woman who hit was clearly driving recklessly if she was unable to see two pedestrians especially two people who obviously weren't running into traffic. You people should be ashamed.

I am appalled and disgusted with the negative comments on this page. The focus of ANY feedback on this article should be ONLY on the tragic loss of two innocent lives. I cannot believe anyone would actually try to justify or defend the actions of the driver. There is a family in mourning. Have some class, people.

I have known Doreen and Keith Rogers for more than 40 years. Their years on earth might cause many to call them "elderly," but they were both as alert and full of energy as someone half their age. These were not people who would carelessly cross a street. I can't believe they would "jaywalk" to save a few steps instead of crossing at the crosswalk that was mentioned by an earlier poster.

I hope a thorough investigation will bring out the truth of what really happened. They leave behind many family and friends who loved them dearly. We need answers to set our minds at ease.

Maybe all you folks that are so sure the pedestrians were jaywalking should examine the sidewalks and the crosswalks at the intersection. The pedestrians were on the East side of the road. There is no sidewalk there. There are signals for a crosswalk on the poles showing East/West but no crosswalk is there. There is no sidewalk. There is no crosswalk. Go look for yourself. And in either case there is NEVER a reason for a driver to strike a pedestrian. Failure to control? Ever hear of it. A driver is REQUIRED to maintain control of their vehicle at all times. These comments accusing the pedestrians make me realize how stupid some people are. Please do not reproduce if you feel the pedestrians are somehow at fault.

I think everyone who is posting should stop and take a good look at themselves and how they are as drivers...this could have happened to any one of you. ANY ONE OF YOU! First, there is a light just feet away from where this happened. As a pedestrian crossing a busy road, you cannot trust anyone and you should be crossing at the light irregardless if there is a crosswalk. One should not be crossing a busy street where construction is going on no matter what. Do Pedestrians have the right of way...yes, but I'm not going to trust drivers on a busy road during rush hour in a construction site...i'll take a few steps towards the light and cross in a safe manner...or better yet, drive there.

How would any of you feel if you were the one that hit these people? You weren't there. You don't know the circumstances. You don't know what the driver was or wasn't doing when this happened. Quit making accusations. The fact of the matter is two good people are dead and one good woman has to live the rest of her life knowing that she killed them. I feel for all the families involved.

Given what I know about Dave and Doreen and the amount of traveling they have done -- all without incident - it is hard to imagine they would have been neglegent in trying to cross what appears to be a busy thoroughfare. We don't know the answers, only the driver knows what she did and why she wasn't in control of her vehicle. Given the damage to her van, she had to be traveling fast, that alone is evidence that she was at fault. We are mourning here - all of their family, grandchildren and great grandchildren and many many friends, and their family in England. Do not disrespect their well-lived lives by casting aspersions when you don't know the facts. God bless you Dave and Doreen your souls are at peace.

I think all of you need to read what WILLIAMSINGER is saying.He makes by far not even close the most sense. He has facts about this horrible horrible horrible killing(notice I don't call this an accident). I am very sorry for the families loss very sad.