A resident of Estrada (Pontevedra) died yesterday afternoon after being hit by a truck at a pedestrian crossing on Avenida Benito Vigo. The incidents took place shortly after 17:00 at the gate next to the Estrada town hall. This is José Luís Penín García, 85, crossing the N-640 in the direction of Serafín Pazo street. Just then, he was hit by an animal transporter. According to eyewitnesses, an underage driver was driving towards Pontevedra, not seeing the pedestrian while crossing the street and colliding with him. The impact displaced the eighty-year-old man a long distance.
Local Police teams arrived at the scene and the 061 ambulance arrived soon after, but they could no longer do anything for their lives. Emergency medical services considered the possibility of moving the Santiago-based medicalized helicopter, but that option was rejected when it was already on its way when Local Police claimed the worst outcome. In addition to the Toilets and Local Police agents, the cooperation of GES members of A Estrada from 112 Galicia was also requested.
Since Penín was a well-known person, his death caused a great shock even among the people present. Many times he went to the municipal gardens, where he fed the pigeons. Additionally, he had a farm with animals at the bottom of Serafín Pazo street and it looked like he was going with a bag of feed to feed them.
This anger has once again brought to the fore an area of the N-640 where such incidents are already common. As with both this crossing and the pedestrian crossing in front of the Eirín Pharmacy, there have already been reports of abuse, some of which have been fatal. This situation also occurred in front of Mimela Patisserie and the other two located higher in front of Elfos children’s room.
Residents have expressed several times the need for some safety measures beyond the crosswalk, such as rough lanes, light signals, donkey backs or traffic lights. These demands also came from opposition parties. However, no control measures have been taken at some pedestrian crossings and places where there are continuous vehicle crossings.