West Hartford Police and West Hartford Fire Department personnel responded to an incident Friday evening involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian, and police said Saturday morning that the victim died as a result of injuries. [Updated, Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m.]

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford Police said Saturday morning that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle Friday evening in the area of Oakwood Avenue and St. James Street has died.

In an email, Capt. Peter Juda said that Patricia Brulotte, 87, of West Hartford, died as a result of injuries sustained in the collision.

Oakwood Avenue between Seymour Avenue and Kane Street was closed for hours Friday evening as the West Hartford Police Department Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team continued to investigate the collision between a passenger vehicle and an adult pedestrian, now identified as Brulotte.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:06 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, Juda said, in the area of Oakwood Avenue and Saint James Street. The victim, who was not identified until Saturday, sustained “apparent serious injuries,” he said in an email Friday evening, and was transported to an area hospital by ambulance.

Police said Saturday that no further information is available at this time, and the driver has not been identified. Police did indicate in their original email that the driver was not injured, remained at the scene, and is cooperating with the investigation.

This was the second 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.

Police had posted on X at 5:59 p.m. that Oakwood Avenue was closed for investigation of the crash, and as of 9 p.m. the roadway remained closed to traffic.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY – Oakwood Ave is closed between Seymour Ave and Kane St due to a motor vehicle crash pic.twitter.com/YwEGrh7kdV

— West Hartford Police (@WestHartfordPD) November 8, 2024

Motorists were being advised to take alternate routes while the investigation was underway.

Police ask that anyone with information related to this investigation to contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203, or use the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].

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