Man Fatally Struck By Car Near Popular Holiday Lights Display
BEAR, Del. (CBS) -- A popular holiday lights display was the scene of a fatal accident, and the situation is now prompting safety questions by some, and safety reminders by police.
On Friday, a 62-year-old man from Massachusetts was hit crossing Red Lion Road in Delaware, just up the road from an elaborate Christmas light display put up by a neighbor each year. He died from his injuries over the weekend.
"I mean, it's horrible they went to see the Christmas lights, they didn't expect anyone to die," said Daniela Quinn, who works up the road and saw the immediate aftermath of the crash. "It shouldn't have been that way."
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Delaware State Police say they are investigating the death as an accident.
Quinn was expecting an accident like this to happen for a while now.
"I thought this was going to happen a long time ago," she said. "It's dark there and people are busy looking at the Christmas lights, not looking at people walking on the road."
The display draws sometimes hundreds a night to the busy block, and pedestrians have been known to cross in unsafe ways, neighbors said.
Bill Steele lives a few houses down from the display. He said the neighbor who puts it up is a good man who does everything he can to keep spectators safe. Floodlights and signage are prominent as you approach the lights from either direction.
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Delaware State Police are not adding any extra traffic enforcement in the area following the death. A public information officer advised pedestrians to wear reflective clothing and only use crosswalks and advised drivers to slow down in the area.
The homeowners who put up the display did not want to comment on camera.
