Fatal Accident, Pedestrians Hit On Valley Road

Oh, how sad. Wonder if it was a hit and run.

This is terrible.... My prayers are with the family and the second women.

(I hope the investigation shows an unavoidable accident and not something dumb like a cell phone or jaywalking....)

No, not a hit and run, I was there. It happened at the end of my block. People get off at the Mountain Ave. station and then cross Valley at Marion or Laurel. There are no crosswalks, no speed bumps. The closest traffic lights are at Lorraine and Mt. Hebron so it's very easy for cars to go the full speed limit which is 35 mph.

I always feel bad for the drivers in cases like these. I would almost rather be hit than have to live with knowing I hit someone else.

I came upon it during the police investigation when they shut down Valley Road. I didn't want to ask anyone, but it looked serious and there was a guy very upset who must have been the driver.

There are a lot of people crossing Valley, as it is a bus and train route and it is very dark in places. People speed down the street and I would be all for installing something to keep people down to 35mph.

He was very very very shaken. That part of the street also has no lights. I think the town should really take a look at having a crosswalk and at least a small flashing yellow light there. No one who gets off the train at Mountain is going to walk all the way back to Upper Montclair or all the way over to Mt. Hebron just to cross the street to get home.

That's horrible. I feel really sorry for the families of everyone involved (driver and pedestrians).

Hope the second woman recovers fully and quickly.

You have to wonder why, with a train station and multiple bus stops, that there are not even any crosswalks along that stretch. This is really something that needs to be done. Sorry that it would be too late for this horrible accident.

This is indeed sad for all involved. The visibility last night wasn't that great either given the weather.

So very sad and unfortunately most probably avoidable. That stretch of road is very fast, dark and had no crossing points between Lorianne and Hebron. I totally agree that there needs to be some safety options implemented. Perhaps a cross-walk near Kiel's Pharmacy.

The next person to bite it will be crossing Glen Ridge Ave at or near Bay St, hoofing to or from the Bay St Station. Mark my words. Cars whip up that road doing 50 into a blind bend. No sign, no nothing.

Traffic on Valley Road in Upper Montclair center is an accident waiting to happen. My car got sideswiped by a bus just last week. A women with a stroller told me she thought she was going to get hit while she loaded her child in her car in front. The police told me there was not much they could do unless I got a license plate, but I should call my insurance agent.

I live in the area, its true, people speed pretty fast on valley (actually most other streets in town for that matter). There are no painted crosswalks between Lorraine and Mt. Hebron, guessing that's over 2 miles or so, people just rip down that stretch. Town really needs to put better signing in place with well marked crosswalks.

God, that's awful for all involved. I'm so sorry for the family of the woman who died, and wish the other victim a speedy recovery.

Agree that this is also a horrible trauma for the driver. When I was 12, I was hit by a car going about 40 while I was riding my bike (completely my fault, as I turned in front of it). I was unbelievably lucky, but it was a pretty impressive accident, complete with me shattering her windshield. I still often think of the woman who was driving that car, and wonder if she's still traumatized by the experience. She came to visit me afterwards when I was recovering and I remember how terrible she felt, even though there was nothing she could have done to avoid hitting me.

There definitely needs to be more light on that stretch of road.

For all the taxes paid, there should be significantly more light on every road. This town is one of the most poorly lit I've ever seen.

Yes, but Valley Road is highly trafficked and has a higher speed limit than the side roads.

I think Glen Ridge may be more poorly lit with those nice looking but inefficient gas lamps.

About 20 years ago I saw another woman get hit by a car on Valley between Fernwood and Norman. She was only grazed and not hurt. The car didn't stop but I gave the police a description of the car, which they caught and turns out the driver was going to Montclair Town Court for another trffic violation.
The traffic on Valley south from Mt Hebron can be fierce, especially when classes change at MSU. Something needs to be done by the town, and we the residents of that stretch need to make it happen.

Who do we complain to? The mayor? Ward Counselor? Valley is a county road. If someone knows and could post a link or address, people would be more likely to write in.

It is a county road, but I'm sure the town council is a good place to start. If they get letters and emails about a death that was preventable they will at least know there is an issue. I've noticed a lot of county roads have those plastic pedestrian crossing poles in the middle of busy crosswalks as well as some near schools. It can't be that hard to paint crosswalk lines and stick one of those in front of Kiel's. A speed bump wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Just remembered. It's a good thing the town decided not to close Lorraine Road or that stretch of Valley really would be a speedway.
Between this death, my car getting sideswiped last week and the fire at Olympic last month, it's scary out there.

How would closing Lorraine west of Valley make a difference? There would still be a stop light there. It would probably make it safer since more people would stop to make the turn onto Jerome. In any case, there are still no crosswalks and the street is dimly lit.

teller, try being a pedestrian in Thailand. Now that's scary.

Never been to Thailand, but it couldn't be much worse than going to pick up the kids in about an hour with stops at CVS and the super market.
If you are saying there are too many people and what they need are more ways in and out of the city not less, I would agree that's scary.
Must admit sometimes I have pushed the pedal a little harder when I get out of that mess.

"The next person to bite it will be crossing Glen Ridge Ave at or near Bay St"

Endeavor,

Tell me about it. I cross there everyday, and 1 out of 4 times I stand in the middle of the street while a car crosses into the wrong lane to get around me, instead of stopping for me. I even had one person blare their horn at me because I was in their way, in the crosswalk.

There used to be a pedestrian sign in the middle of the street. It had to be removed after being hit so many times.

The speed limit is only 25mph... it doesn't stop cars (and the people driving said cars) from trying to beat the train gates. They floor it, come around the bend and stopping for pedestrians becomes inconvenient.

Arrests should be made for attempted murder with the way some drivers treat pedestrians in sidewalks.

That intersection also happens to be a bus stop. Young kids cross at that crosswalk. I hope it is not a young kid that becomes the unfortunate victim of the lady in a blue Altima doing 50 mph and blares her horn, trying to beat the gate while almost mowing me down...

"Arrests should be made for attempted murder with the way some drivers treat pedestrians in sidewalks."

Crosswalks, too. :)