Graduate Student Killed Crossing the Street
Why the alarmist title? Let me explain.
Yesterday morning at about 6:45am EST, 28-year-old New York native Isaac J. Meyers was on his way to school. The Cambridgeport resident and Harvard University graduate student took a route to the Red Line subway station that I, too, have walked hundreds of times before, after, and while I lived in the neighborhood bordered by the Charles River, Harvard, MIT, and Central Square.
At the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Prospect Street, Meyers entered the crosswalk to get to the other side of the wide and commonly busy street, where the outbound train station is located. He was then hit by a tractor trailer making a delivery to the nearby MIT branch of Shaw’s grocery store and dragged 25 feet to his eventual death.
The huge back wheels of the humongous transport vehicle somehow latched onto Myers, and by all accounts, the driver didn’t come to a stop until people ran after him and flagged him down. Myers was pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital at 12:20pm.
Hub residents have been spending substantial time discussing this event online, initially because some commuters and those who work and live in the area noticed that busses and general traffic were making odd and unexplained detours around Central Square on Monday morning. The main issues at the center of the exchanges are (1) who was at fault for the accident, Meyers or the truck driver, and (2) what is up with the way people bike/drive/walk in Boston?
As long ago as it was, I still remember when I first moved to the Bay State from metropolitan New York. Although Boston drivers have a well-known reputation for their allegedly atrocious attitude and behavior, except for a handful of incidents, my personal experiences with them have been very, very courteous.
I’m constantly amazed at the number of drivers everywhere who stop to let me cross the street when I don’t have the right of way, even when I’m not paying attention and they have to wait for me to recognize their gesture. That rarely happened in the areas of New York I frequented.
Nonetheless, I’m writing about this tragic accident as a reminder to people who both live in and visit Boston that you must remember to use extreme caution on the streets of the state always, whether you’re driving a vehicle, riding a bike, or walking. Become familiar with the rules of the road (and believe me, I know how difficult it is to track them down; you’d think the state government would make it easier), whatever your mode of transportation, and then heed them at all times. This way, we can all do our part to avoid another disastrous and unnecessary event like what happened yesterday.
Condolences to the family and friends of Isaac J. Meyers.
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2 opinions for Graduate Student Killed Crossing the Street
Susan J.
Mar 20, 2008 at 10:52 am
I live in Central Square, so I saw the traffic detour, but I had no idea what happened until my roommate told me that night. I was so sorry to hear about the Isaac’s needless death. What a shame!
Chandra
Mar 22, 2008 at 8:53 am
I agree, Susan. The situation is especially tragic because it seems Isaac was crossing the street exactly the way pedestrians are supposed to — in the crosswalk.
Maybe some good will come of this in the form of improved traffic rules in dangerous areas like that intersection.
Thanks for commenting.
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