Elderly man hit by van

A disabled 90-year-old man on a motorized scooter was struck by a private ambulance last Friday after the driver was responding to an emergency call, officials said.

The accident occurred around 1 p.m., on June 25 at Park Place and Park Avenue at the LIRR station, officials said.

The van was traveling through the intersection, and, although officials said that the driver had stopped at a stop sign, the van hit the man and pinned him underneath the vehicle.

Long Beach firefighters and emergency responders had to use air bags to elevate the van in order to extricate the victim, who was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital. City Manager Charles Theofan said the man is in stable condition.

"He was conscious and alert, but had some probable fractures," said Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins.

Although officials said the victim was on the wrong side of the road, some residents said that stretch of Park, an extension of Edwards Boulevard, can be dangerous and questioned how the driver could have failed to see the victim if he had stopped at a stop sign.

"It's just another horrific accident in Long Beach," said Richard Boodman, who has been calling on the city to address traffic and safety issues.

"My mantra is that traffic is out of control, and this is another example of the City of Long Beach not enforcing traffic safety."

The traffic on Park Avenue, Boodman said, is constant on that corner, as it moves from east to west. When there is a red light, he said, traffic is coming from the south, from Edwards, and turns east, creating a constant flow of traffic.

"The drivers at the stop sign are constantly looking east or southeast, and often fail to look west at the foot traffic coming from the rail road station," Boodman said.

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