A police vehicle in the parking lot of Quality Grocery & Deli located in La Grande Princesse on St. Croix on June 24, 2022. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — The V.I. Police Department's Traffic Investigation Bureau (TIB) is probing a motor-vehicle accident involving a pedestrian that occurred on Friday night in La Grande Princesse.
According to police spokesman Glen Dratte, on Friday at 8:15 p.m. TIB officers were notified by the 911 Emergency Call Center to investigate the accident, which occurred on the eastbound lane of Northside Road Route 75, in the vicinity of Quality Grocery & Deli in Estate La Grande Princesse.
Upon TIB officers' arrival to the scene, they observed a male individual lying on the northern edge of the eastbound lane and sidewalk. The vehicle involved, a Toyota Tundra, was parked at the front of the Quality grocery store northeast of the pedestrian, according to the police report.
A V.I.P.D. preliminary investigation revealed that the pedestrian was in the vicinity of Plot 21-C La Grande Princesse and was crossing the roadway from north to south. The driver was heading eastbound when the vehicle struck him.
The pedestrian sustained life-threatening injuries to the face and head, according to the V.I.P.D. He was transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he was receiving treatment for injuries as of Saturday. The case remains open and under investigation by Traffic Investigation Bureau officers.
Though the police department did not provide information regarding the speed of the vehicle, on Friday a statement was published on the department's Facebook page which provided statistics on vehicle accidents that occurred in 2021 — an effort aimed at discouraging speeding.
"In the Territory in 2021, there were 100 crashes caused by speeding; 79 speeding injuries, 14 speeding crashes caused by drivers under the age of 21, and 1 fatality as a result of speeding. Much like impaired driving, speeding is a selfish choice that can have deadly consequences for the driver, vehicle passenger, and pedestrians," the V.I.P.D. said. "Speed limits are put in place to protect all road users and to enhance safety by reducing risks imposed by drivers’ speed choices. This summer and every day, remember that faster doesn’t mean safer, and there is no excuse for speeding."
