Walking Couple Killed on Market St Sidewalk

A man driving a pickup truck has struck and killed a couple walking on a Market Street sidewalk.

In many ways it looks like an expression of hydraulic autoism: The meaningful gap in traffic was apparently the gap in cars, and it was not important to take the extra time to scan the sidewalk because of the gap in auto traffic in the roadway. The sidewalk and its denizens constitute noise, at best an instance of pedestrian impedance, at worse an irrelevancy. (In the first two of three articles it was noted "they were wearing mostly dark clothing" as if on a major, major road in Salem, people on foot still had to conform to the traffic cone theory of high-vis apparel. Noise, that's what people on foot are.)

The SUV appears to be making the same turning movement
that killed the Crosslands

But it's important to note that Market Street here is exceedingly crappy. This is a classic stroad, a dangerous hybrid optimized neither for local traffic nor for arterial through-put. It is vast, there are lots of driveways, including driveways that are more like private roads than mere parking lot access, a sequence of strange intersections with Hawthorn, I-5, and Lancaster, disappearing bike lanes, and uncertain streetlighting.

It is a stroad engineered for catastrophic failure.

The second article

From the first crash report:

A Salem couple remained in critical condition at Salem Hospital on Friday, three days after they were a hit by a pick-up truck while they walked on a sidewalk along Market Street NE.

According to Mark Glyzewski, a spokesman with Salem Hospital, Michael Crossland, 64, and Christine Crossland, 63 were still in critical condition Friday

According to Salem Police, the couple was walking down Market Street NE when they were struck by a brown 1986 Ford pick-up truck making a left turn into the Shilo Inn parking lot located at 3304 Market NE around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The driver, Phillip Carver, 46, of Salem, was in the center turn lane traveling westbound on Market Street waiting to turn left when he saw a break in traffic and made his turn. The couple, who were wearing mostly dark clothing, were transported to Salem Hospital immediately following the accident, Lt. Steve Birr with the Salem Police said Thursday.

"No enforcement action has been taken yet," Birr said. "At the least he'll probably be cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian, but they're watching the condition of the patients before making that call." [italics added]

Yesterday afternoon:

A Salem man has died after he and his wife were hit by a pick-up truck while they walked on a sidewalk along Market Street NE last week.

Mark Glyzweski with the Salem Hospital confirmed Tuesday that Michael Crossland, 64, passed away after being in critical condition for several days following a crash that took place around 5:30 p.m., Jan.6. Christine Crossland, Michael's wife, remained in critical condition at the Salem Hospital Tuesday....

No arrests have been made in connection with the accident.

And now today:

The second of two victims has died after being struck by a pickup truck on Market Street NE last week.

Longtime Salem residents Michael Crossland, 64, and Christine Crossland, 63, were taken to the Salem Hospital on Jan. 6. following a crash that left the couple in critical condition.

Rich Derfler, 61, of Lake Oswego, a longtime friend of the Crosslands, said that Michael died around 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9. Mark Glyzewski, a spokesman for Salem Hospital, confirmed Wednesday that Christine had also died.