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Man struck near bus stop is said to have lost a leg. |
Going out for the papers about 5:00 AM the morning after Christmas, I found the Plainfield Police Division had blocked off Watchung Avenue at East Front and East Second Streets.
I could see a Union County Crime Scene Investigation vehicle near Front Street, and a camera on a tripod for photographing the scene. There was a dark sedan parked in the middle of the street just past the NJT bus stop in front of the Texas Wiener and what appeared to be one of the sidewalk trash cans in the roadway.
I was told later that about 2:30 AM, a car struck a man. It wasn't clear if the man was a sanitation worker or a person who is sometimes seen rummaging through downtown trash receptacles for aluminum cans.
Having struck the man, the driver is said to have fled the vehicle on foot, leaving it in the roadway. I was also told the man was so badly injured that his leg was severed.
Anyone with information should call the Plainfield Police Division at (908) 753-3131.
-- Dan Damon [follow]
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4 comments:
The man struck was an employee of PMUA.
It is unfortunate that a man lost his leg, and he has my condolences, but an accident like that brings to light unusual activity if the man was a PMUA employee on duty... at 2:30 AM on the day after Christmas, a national holiday this year. I can only ask what's up with that? Why is the PMUA even open at that time of night on any day of the year? It certainly wasn't to collect garbage on my street Monday morning.
Reminds me of the incident when a PMUA trash hauler was wounded by a bullet while riding on the back of a garbage truck at 1:00AM.
@ 11:02 AM -- As you may have forgotten, the PMUA performs a variety of different services, residential pickup (except for 'holidays') being one of them.
The PMUA also hauls dumpsters of garbage for commercial customers.
And it cleans the trash receptacles throughout the business district daily (except for Sundays).
Knowing that, it does not appear unreasonable that a worker was 'prepping' the trash receptacle for a follow-along compactor. They work early so as not to be inconvenienced by vehicles parked at the curb (makes sense, no?).
Your comment linking this poor man to the man who got shot working on a truck -- yes, it turns out that man was involved with drugs -- seems mean-spirited unless you know more than anyone else does.
For that I nominate you for a lump of coal from Santa next year.
Thanks, Dan. I can use some free coal next winter to heat my house. But, I said nothing about drug involvement. I was impliedly questioning what I think are the unreasonable hours of operation that have come to light from this accident, just as in the previous incident. Having loud garbage truck noises disturbing sleeping residents in the middle of the night may be convenient for PMUA, but I don't think it is reasonable. Noise aside, cars are likely to be lining the curbs until people leave for work in the morning.
It is news to me that the PMUA does not suspend non-residential trash collection on holidays. That seems unnecessary and costly, if true. The PMUA being what it is, I would not suspend my critical faculties just because I have sympathy for an injured man. Now make sure santa sends me my free coal.
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