Young man hit by car

By: Star Beacon - Shelley Terry

ASHTABULA — The identity of a male pedestrian who was hit by a car Wednesday afternoon, as he crossed West Prospect at Station Avenue, was still unknown Wednesday evening.

The victim, described as a white male between the age of 17 and 25, suffered severe head and neck injuries, acting detective Capt. Joseph Cellitti said. He was transported by ambulance to Ashtabula County Medical Center and then was flown by medical helicopter to a Cleveland hospital.

Police said the young man was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, but had no identifaction.

The driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old city man, was taken to the city jail when police learned he was driving under suspension, Cellitti said. The driver’s name is being withheld pending his arraignment, which is scheduled for today, Cellitti said.

The driver’s vehicle was traveling east on Route 20 at 1:50 p.m., when he traveled through the green light at Route 20 and Station Avenue, and struck the teen. The impact of the accident knocked the victim out of his tennis shoes and threw him about 30 feet, police said. It also shattered the vehicle’s windshield.

Andy McFadden of Ashtabula was sitting in his pickup, traveling south on Station Avenue, when he witnessed the accident.

“(The victim) ran out, and the light was green,” he said. “He ran across (the street); he didn’t even look.”

Saybrook Township resident Jack Lane was traveling east on Route 20, in the left-turn lane, when he saw the victim run into the street.

“The kid ran right out in front of him,” he said.

Police gathered evidence and directed traffic around the intersection for nearly two hours.

This is the second pedestrian accident at that intersection this year. In late June, Latasha Moore, 17, of Ashtabula, died of blunt-force trauma to the head, trunk and extremities. She was pregnant at the time. Moore also was crossing West Prospect Avenue, at Station Avenue, when she was hit by a vehicle. The 18-year-old driver was charged with two counts involuntary manslaughter, one count of street racing and one count of reckless operation.