Update: Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle on Sedgwick Road in West Hartford Has Died
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Sedgwick Road looking west from Cornell Road, near the scene of a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Police said that Sedgwick Road was closed between Ridgewood Road and Cornell Road for the investigation Wednesday night of a fatal crash involving a pedestrian and a motor vehicle. [Updated: 11:45 p.m.]
Sedgwick Road looking west from Cornell Road, near the scene of a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Ronni Newton
The West Hartford Police Department said late Wednesday night that the pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle on earlier in the evening has died as a result of the injuries sustained.
Police also identified the pedestrian as Anne Rapkin, 74, of West Hartford.
Rapkin’s dog was also killed in the incident, according to sources.
West Hartford Police initially said that the adult pedestrian sustained “apparent serious injuries” after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday evening in the area of Sedgwick Road and Cornell Road. The incident was reported at approximately 6:44 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Rapkin was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the collision. The adult driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation, Capt. Peter Juda said. No information was provided about whether or not the driver was injured.
The West Hartford Police Department Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team remained on the scene investigating, and said the Sedgwick Road, between Ridgewood Road and Cornell Road, would remain closed for several hours. The area is closed to pedestrians as well, and alternative routes are encouraged.
Juda said no further information available was available late Wednesday night, but the investigation into the incident was still active and continuing. The roadway remained closed as of 11:45 p.m.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203, or use via the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].
This is the second fatal incident in West Hartford this month involving a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle. On Nov. 8, 87-year-old Patricia Brulotte was struck by a car on Oakwood Avenue near St. James Street. She died the following day as a result of those injuries.
Rapkin was the third pedestrian to be struck and killed by a vehicle in West Hartford in 2024. In January, 80-year-old David Goldfarb sustained fatal injuries when he was crossing Albany Avenue near Mohegan Drive.
There were no fatal motor vehicle-related incidents in West Hartford in 2023, but the prior year there were six fatalities. In a period of eight days in December 2022 five people died in town and another was seriously injured as a result of motor vehicle-related incidents– and as a result of those tragedies the town formed a task force and launched a Vision Zero initiative resulting in an action plan that is being finalized and with a set of projects that could be implemented quickly.
In the past few months, many of the initial Vision Zero Action Plan items have been implemented – such as the addition of raised crosswalks and rectangular rapid flashing beacons – and others are in progress. The goal of Vision Zero is to completely eliminate serious and fatal traffic incidents by 2033.
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was there a sidewalk? was she walking on the side of the road? are there streetlights where she was hit? there are too many accidents like this lately.