Fatal pedestrian accident occurs in Whitman

If anyone could have acted to save the life of a 38-year-old man from Whitman, it would likely have been the Whitman fire chief. The 43-year-old firefighter knew exactly who to call, even though he was off duty.

The off-duty fire chief was the first one on the scene when a 38-year-old man and 4-year-old girl were struck by a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. The pedestrian accident occurred in the middle of the street right in front of the fire chief’s house on Temple Street.

It was not known how fast the pickup truck was traveling when it hit the man, who was with his girlfriend’s daughter. The little girl was on a pink bike with training wheels. Eyewitnesses say that the 38-year-old attempted to push the little girl out of the way and took the brunt of the impact from the truck.

When the fire chief reached him, the 38-year-old man was unresponsive with head and leg injuries. He was taken to the nearest emergency room where he was pronounced dead. The young girl was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital where she is reportedly in critical condition.

The 38-year-old man had been in a three-year relationship with girl’s mother, and was called “Daddy” by the young girl.

The driver of the truck, a 46-year-old man from Attleboro, has not been charged with a crime as of yet, although an investigation is underway. Area residents say that many drivers speed on the road. If the driver was negligent in any way, such as speeding perhaps, he could be held liable in civil court for the personal injuries to the 4-year-old and the wrongful death of the 38-year-old man.

Source: Enterprise, “VIDEOS: Witnesses say Whitman man died trying to save girl,” Maria Papadopoulos, Sept. 9, 2012

At our Boston law firm, we represent individuals who are injured or killed in a pedestrian accident due to someone else’s negligence or error.