Glendale pedestrian struck and killed at marked crosswalk
A 74-year-old Glendale woman was struck by a vehicle in a marked crosswalk at Wilson Avenue and Belmont Street on Monday and died later at a hospital, police said.
It was the fifth pedestrian-collision fatality in Glendale this year.
The woman, identified as Vera Momdjian, was in the crosswalk at about 5 p.m. when she was hit by a Chevrolet Silverado heading northbound and making a westbound turn onto Wilson from Belmont, according to Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.
Momdjian sustained serious injuries and was transported to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where she died later that evening.
Lightfoot said the driver of the truck was identified as Krekor Krekorian, 29, of Glendale.
Results of a blood test for possible alcohol or drug use had not been released as of early Tuesday afternoon, and the incident remains under investigation, Lightfoot said.
Police Chief Rob Castro, who just took over the police department’s top post last month, stressed the need for caution on the part of both drivers and pedestrians.
“It was made very clear by the mayor and City Council members that traffic safety was a high priority for me to focus on,” Castro said in a statement. “In order to reduce traffic-collision occurrences, there needs to be a change in mindset by all parties to refocus attention on the road and safety behaviors.”
He acknowledged that refocusing drivers won’t be easy. However, he said through a combination of new educational campaigns, increased enforcement actions, and community involvement and support, local streets can be safer.
He added in his statement that this most recent incident was particularly somber.
“I am disheartened that we end the year with another preventable traffic fatality and my thoughts are with the victim’s family,” Castro said.
Lightfoot said the department is in a strict enforcement mode for the new year with officers blanketing the streets looking for drunken or impaired drivers.
“Drive defensively, avoid distractions and, as a pedestrian, look to live,” she said.
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Follow Tim Traeger on Twitter: @TraegerTim.
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