DANVERS — The tragic death of a Danvers man Wednesday night is prompting questions about the safety of a notoriously busy stretch of Route 114.
Christopher Schlosser, 44, of 7 Ingersoll St. was killed about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was hit by a pickup truck near 155 Andover St. (Route 114) as he attempted to cross seven lanes of traffic. There is no pedestrian crosswalk in the area.
"The state police are continuing to investigate the crash last night on Route 114 in Danvers," Michael Verseckes, the public affairs official at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said yesterday. "Once the investigation is complete, MassDOT will conduct a full safety review of this intersection to determine whether any safety improvements are necessary."
Danvers police Capt. Patrick Ambrose said there are no charges pending at this time against the driver, Christopher Giurleo, 25, of 261 Lynnfield St., Lynn.
Schlosser was walking by himself at the time of the accident, Ambrose said, but would not provide more details, saying the accident is under investigation.
A woman who answered the door at Schlosser's address yesterday declined to comment.
A witness said Schlosser was thrown 20 to 25 yards by the impact of the Ford pickup truck.
The accident was the fifth involving a pedestrian in the last five years and three months on Route 114 in Danvers, according to police.
The most serious of the previous accidents occurred in August 2009 when a vehicle slid off the wet road and struck two pedestrians and a 1-year-old baby in a carriage. The three victims were taken to the hospital.
In October 2008, a man was struck by a vehicle in the area of 160 Andover St. when he got out of his car to help a rabbit cross the road.
Police are still investigating a hit-and-run accident last April in front of Ira Lexus at 99 Andover St. The victim was struck by a new Lexus exiting the parking lot.
In November 2006, a van struck a pedestrian in the arm in the Lowe's parking lot at 153 Andover St.
According to a traffic study completed by Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. in December 2009, the area of Route 114 where Schlosser was hit is extremely busy. About 47,800 vehicles drive it each day, with more than 3,600 cars an hour passing through during weekday rush hour.
In addition to pedestrian accidents, there have been numerous traffic accidents in the roughly half-mile stretch of Route 114 from Garden Street to Avalon Bay Drive. From 2006 to 2008, the last year for which statistics were available, there were 92 accidents along that span, including 13 that resulted in injuries, according to the traffic study.
The area has been built up even more since those numbers were gathered, including the new Olive Garden restaurant, a Honey Dew Donuts shop and Danvers Indoor Sports facility, a massive indoor soccer complex.
"Traffic is always the first issue that comes up anytime something new is proposed, or even if there is a proposed reuse of an existing building," said Susan Fletcher, the assistant director of planning in Danvers. "Most things require some level of traffic study. Traffic is always the first issue."
Pedestrians aren't common on the road, although there is a sidewalk.
"I don't see a lot of pedestrian traffic there at all," said Kevin Prendergast, director of operations at Atlantic Ambulance, who drives through the area twice every day to and from work. "Although one time I took my car in (to a Route 114 dealership) to get worked on, and I did feel like I was taking my life into my own hands when I crossed the street to get some food."
Prendergast said Route 114 is a frequent response location for his ambulances, but not disproportionate to other areas.
"It's about as much as any average main drag in a community," he said.
On the entire two-mile stretch of Route 114 from the Northshore Mall in Peabody to the Interstate 95 intersection there are only two crosswalks — by the mall and by the Brooksby Village retirement community. There is none on the Danvers side.
"As far as I know, there hasn't been any discussion of adding a crosswalk there," Fletcher said yesterday. "The speed of the traffic on that road I think may preclude the idea of crosswalks."
Crosswalks must meet certain safety requirements, such as long enough sight lines, to give drivers enough time to stop, and some kind of intersection where all possible movement in every direction can be stopped.
"For a road like 114 where there's that much traffic and speed, it's unlikely a crosswalk could be put in," she said. "It's not very pedestrian friendly."
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