Christy Lattin
After a teenager was struck in a crosswalk, police are encouraging both drivers and pedestrians to stay alert when approaching intersections. A 14-year-old girl was hit by a car on July 28 while crossing W. Williams Avenue at Allen Road.
Police Chief Daniel Babiarz said the teen and her sister waited for the pedestrian signal, but as they began crossing, a vehicle making a right turn struck the 14-year-old. Babiarz said the driver claimed she didn’t see the teens due to a blind spot in her vehicle. The driver was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
The teen’s mother wrote in a social media post that her daughter suffered only scrapes and bruises and praised the driver for staying on scene and calling 911. The next day another resident posted they were almost hit by two cars while crossing the same Allen Road intersection, claiming both drivers not paying attention.
Babiarz said less than five percent of accidents in the last four years involved “non-motorists” like walkers or scooters, and the department has not added patrols to that intersection. However, he is concerned about the influx of e-scooters and e-bikes and the speed at which they travel, sometimes up to 30 miles per hour. He encouraged parents to teach their children proper safety protocols like wearing helmets and crossing intersections safely.
Ron Wenger, outgoing Chief of Police, said he’s always pleased to see parents walking with their young students the first week of school. He said it’s up to parents to teach them the “rules of the road” and how to safely use crosswalks, including making eye contact with drivers.
Some of Fallon’s major intersections used by school children include Merton and Taylor streets, Harrigan and Front streets, and Williams and Sherman streets. Wenger said the three-way intersection at Merton and Taylor, which leads to Churchill County High School and Lahontan Elementary, presents the biggest problem and is why crossing guards are in place to safely move motorists and pedestrians.
City of Fallon Public Works Director Brian Byrd said a $6 million congressional earmark approved in 2022 for a traffic signal at Williams and Sherman streets is being administered through the Nevada Department of Transportation. Byrd said the final design was recently submitted to NDOT, and he anticipates construction will begin in spring 2026.
Fallon Police Department installed containers with high-visibility flags at several intersections. Pedestrians are encouraged to grab a flag while crossing to help alert motorists. Babiarz said the Volunteers In Policing Service check the flag supply each day to ensure flags are available.
It is mandatory for officers on duty to be on proactive patrol during school arrival and dismissal times, Babiarz said, noting the officers will stop and talk with pedestrians if they see unsafe activity in an effort to educate students.
“Your child’s safety as a pedestrian starts with you teaching them how to be a pedestrian,” Wenger said, noting that crosswalks are for people on foot, not on bicycles or scooters. “We encourage drivers and pedestrians to be less distracted. We live in a very distracting world.”
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