According to Reddit - Pedestrian injury at Franklin & Marginal Way

[Zack Barowitz]

I’m new to Reddit so I don’t k ow about the reliability, but someone reported a serious incident of a woman getting struck by a car. 

Zack

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[Scsmedia]

I was told same from a Facebook post that the accident is at the corner of Franklin Street and Marginal Way.

I cannot access the Facebook page (Portland, Maine) it was on, It will not come up in my Facebook acct, but I saw it on their phone.

Steven Scharf

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[Scsmedia]

Follow up from the Portland Police.  It says she was 75 and running with a group of people against the signal.  We need more information on this.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

Portland Maine Police Department via Facebook

Police Investigate Crash On Franklin Street

PORTLAND, Maine — On Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7:07 p.m., Portland Police responded to a crash on Franklin Street at the intersection of Marginal Way involving a car and a pedestrian. A 75-year-old female from Portland was crossing Franklin Street when she was struck by a vehicle, driven by a 48 year-old-man from Portland. According to multiple witnesses, the woman had been running with others, all of whom crossed the roadway against the signal at the time she was struck.

The victim was transported to Maine Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, later succumbing to those injuries. No charges have been filed at this time. Franklin Street between Marginal Way and Somerset Street was closed for about three hours during this incident.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have information to please call them at 207-874-8532 or 207-874-8575.

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[Gordon Platt]

Wow. How terribly sad. I agree that we need more information on exact turning movements etc. 

Many of us know that that is a particularly hostile intersection, one that is a hotspot of poor and aggressive driver behavior. The pedestrian signal for the Bayside trail is too short, too infrequent, and the crossing itself still feels incredibly exposed. 

I’m not familiar if there are any “ no right on red “ signs at that intersection (and not convinced that signage has much effect) but I wonder if we could ask for some to be put up there. I know Jeremiah mentioned that the city is thinking about more NROR signs on-peninsula.

We need to make sure that there is appropriate coverage and notice about this. A death like this is a failure of our transportation system. 

Thanks, 

Gordon Platt

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[Zack Barowitz]

The PPD released that the woman died from the injuries. 

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[al...@citymouse.us]

Councilor Sarah Michniewicz just posted on Instagram about this crash, and the woman’s death. 

She also mentioned Vision Zero. It’s a good thing to see, as I’ve never seen a politician make mention of a pedestrian being killed so quickly, without a major public outcry first. 
Alex

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[Scsmedia]

I saw a post somewhere with a comment from a person who claimed to be part of the group of runners who claim they were not crossing against the light.  This article notes a police cruiser "dash cam" actually witnessed the accident.  The officer may have been doing paperwork, etc.

WMTW Channel 8

Woman, 75, dies after she was hit by car in Portland

Witnesses say the woman was running with a group of people when they tried to cross Franklin Street against the signal

PORTLAND, Maine —

A woman has died at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland after she was hit by a car in Portland Thursday night.

Police say a group of runners crossed Franklin Street at the intersection with Marginal Way just after 7 p.m. when the 75-year-old woman was hit. She was rushed to the hospital but police said Friday morning that the woman died.

Police said witnesses told them the group of people tried to cross against the signal.

Police also said they have video evidence from a nearby police cruiser that corroborates those witness statements.

The car was driven by a 48-year-old man from Portland. As of Friday morning, there were no charges in the case.

Police did not release the name of the driver or the victim. They were still working to notify the family of the victim.

Franklin Street between Marginal Way and Somerset Street was closed for about three hours while police investigated.

https://www.wmtw.com/article/woman-hit-by-car-portland-maine-critically-injured/69509799?fbclid=IwY2xjawOODWxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFIaG9vTFNJV29qdWthUEpxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHq-0epXx1w1IC-NnVWRspwrF7BFerX_pOhiwTeZDGtyMkB0jkAcAakQACqzR_aem_r-CNA-CGnUNP7Pif9Dr5aw

Steven Scharf

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Did this happen at the crosswalk where you have to wait twice, where you're crossing Franklin?  It seems like it may have from this reporting.  They may have had one light, but not the other.  Several years ago I think we recommend that the city do away with that 2 phase crossing because it's so frustrating that many people don't wait for both.  

It's also very challenging with a large group to wait in that little tiny island, and is a frequent crossing for runners and cyclists because of the trail intersection.  Even waiting with strangers it's hard if there's more than one or 2 of you. So, she could have been hit because she didn't fit in the island and was standing in the road waiting for the light.  

It's profoundly distressing that nothing has been done, on an interim basis, to Franklin.  The long-term plan is all well and good (though, not even finished) but this is the second death on Franklin this year.  

The director of Public works told me in the District 1 meeting that all he could say about what I was asking (why haven't there been any changes at Congress and Franklin) was that pedestrians shouldn't cross when they don't have the light. 

I am not sure that staff think these deaths matter: but the design of Franklin is causing them, and they can and must be stopped. 

These 2 stage crossings along Franklin could be said to coerce pedestrians into chancing it.  Go and watch.  It feels like most people cross one leg or the other without waiting.  Maybe they wait once, but if it looks clear, and there so much turning traffic looks can be deceiving, they cross. And frankly, because of right on red and left turns, it's not safe with the walk signal either, which also must be addressed. 

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Rauschpfeife]

Was there ever an updated police report on this killing? I take an interest in this sort of thing. Devil is always in the details. Just by way of introduction, I'm a recent immigrant to Portland, from NYC. I worked with a walker (I prefer this term to "pedestrian") advocacy group there, called Right Of Way, and we produced a report on walkers killed by drivers, which shows (I think) how close study pays off: 

https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kba_text.pdf

Look forward to fighting the good fight in my new home town. I've had a couple of pieces recently in the Press-Herald on this topic. Most recently: 

https://www.pressherald.com/2025/11/21/when-it-comes-to-speeding-portland-needs-engineering-not-enforcement-opinion/

Probably paywalled, unfortunately. 

-- 
Best, 
Michael Smith
https://anacharsis.substack.com

On Fri, Nov 21, 2025 at 10:37 AM Gordon Platt <jgsp...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Zack Barowitz]

Michael,

Thanks for the LTE and sharing the report (I too prefer the term “pedestrian” because a “walker” is an assistive device—likewise, I think “motorist” is preferable to “driver,” which is type of golf club). 
In any case, interesting window into the past that is pretty relevant today. 

Zack

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Welcome to Portland & our google group Michael.

We have a lot of trouble getting very much information or data from the police about these crashes.  They're supposed to be doing quarterly reports to the council about them due to the recently passed Vision zero resolution, which I think I saw one of so far, so that might be a good place to start looking...  

We have not fully tackled the lack of good information. 

Your LTE reminds me, we need to get around to updating our data for this year, but when we looked into it last year, there was virtually no enforcement of speeding or other traffic violations in Portland.

In the year we looked at, we'd issued 42 tickets in the same timeframe that Westbrook had issued 900.  (I could be a little off, pulling those numbers from memory) So that's important context when you look at how people drive in Portland.  

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[Rauschpfeife]

I was startled, when I first moved here, at how bad the driving culture is: aggressive, impatient, entitled. I wasn't expecting this. -- And I came from New York! 

The NYPD is bad about releasing crash reports too. We got the dataset we worked from because NY State gives any elected official the right to get those records, and one of us was pals with Anthony Weiner (yes, *that* Anthony Weiner). So he got them for us. He didn't include any photos in the handover, I'm glad to say. 

I wonder whether there's some similar FOIA thing in Maine that might be helpful. 

The NYPD crash reports were almost always awful. As I wrote in a sidebar to our report, 

Right Of Way received the accident reports on which this study is
based in paper form, and we spent hundreds of hours inputting the
information to a database. This was an illuminating
experience in itself.
Each report, seen individually, is a little narrative, and a rather post-
modern one at that, often featuring two levels of plainly “unreliable
narrators”: the police officer making the report, and the driver who is, all
too often, the sole source of the information in it.
The first-order unreliable narrator, the driver, is pretty much what might
be expected, remarkable only for his flawed sense of probability: we are
told, over and over, that a 70- or 80-year-old New Yorker has darted
from concealment and hurled himself beneath a car.
More surprising, and disturbing, is how frequently the second-order
narrator, the police officer, is an accomplice to these fabrications. A
pedestrian is flung 60 feet after impact, but there is no reason to
suspect excessive speed. A driver is making a left turn when a
pedestrian walks into her vehicle. A cyclist runs a red light and then he
strikes a car (man bites dog?), killing himself.
More routine, but no less depressing, are the reports where there is no
such whopper, but every grudging, minimal entry bespeaks an
indifferent functionary wearily going through the motions, utterly
unconcerned to find out what really happened. Indeed, far too often, the
paperwork isn’t even done conscientiously: a witness is mentioned, but
no witness statement is present; citations are mentioned, but no
violation codes are given.
Coding the reports was hard work; but above and beyond the strain on
hand and eye, this effort took a certain toll on the spirit. Reading what
happens to people is bad enough; realizing how little anyone cares
compounds the pain. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Denise Brautigam]

Michael, thank you for sharing your perspective.  How sad to hear some of the things you have to say.  I'm curious if you think drivers are more aggressive, inpatient, etc here than where you were in NY.

Which city / town of NY were you located?  Perhaps you said, maybe I missed it.  Thanks, Denise

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[Rauschpfeife]

Hi Denise -- 

I wouldn't say that drivers here in P'land are actually *worse* and more aggressive than in New York. That's a pretty high bar. But drivers in New York, especially in Manhattan, rightly have somewhat lower expectations about how fast they can go, and they're accustomed to cyclists and people walking, perhaps a bit more than here. 

To answer your question, I lived in Manhattan, on the Upper West Side, from '78 until this year. I also used to spend a lot of time in the "outer boroughs" -- Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens. Used to ride my bicycle all over town, till I got a bit too old for it. Outer-borough drivers were typically a bit worse than Manhattan drivers, probably just because the density is lower. 

I realized that I was getting long in the tooth when a driver told me "Use the bike lane, Pops." Of course it goes without saying that this was on a street without a bike lane. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Zack Barowitz]

I’ve noticed from living and visiting different places that driving styles differ (as do pedestrian and cyclist behavior) pretty significantly. Very little j-walking in the UK for example. 

Motorists in NYC tend to be more aware of other users and need to adopt a 360 degree awareness. One is a lot more likely to get cut off down there and it isn’t necessarily considered rude. 

One difference I’ve noticed here is when pulling onto a busy road the expectation is to wait until there is a large gap in traffic. If a motorist needs to remove their foot from the accelerator then they feel like you cut in front of them. In NYC it is normal to brake when someone pulls out. At least in my experience. 

Zack 

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[Myles G. Smith]

Folks,

I called PPD to ask about the details of their public statement. The traffic division person just said it was 'still under investigation' and that they 'still have witness statements coming in'. 

I asked why the PPD's statement commented on the alleged behavior of the victim ("crossing against the signal") but provides no details of the driver's behavior - were they speeding? were they running a red light? were they turning right on red without stopping? She said they could not answer any of these questions. I asked if it was department policy to comment on the behavior of the pedestrian victims of fatal crashes but not on the drivers who survived. She said she'd have the sargent call me back. I will let folks know what I hear.

As I wait, I have drafted the attached letter to the Mayor and Police Chief. If we sent something like this, I would want to invite other community and neighborhood groups to sign on. I am still considering whether a public letter is the best course of action, but I'm frankly at my wits end. Your thoughts welcome.

Myles

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Thank you for pursuing answers. 

The letter is very good and hits all the points I would want made. 

I am in favor, (pending a further response from the Sargent which might bring more context, such as what policy they're using to make these statements) of sending the letter to the council, police chief and press contracts- especially since it supports our existing goals, the executive committee can send such a letter as an emergency action. 

Its crazy making that what amounts to a guess about the pedestrian's movements was made, but no comment can be made about the driver's decisions leading up to a fatal crash, not while the investigation is ongoing!   

It often feels like these investigations go on forever.  It could be worth asking for the results of the Congress and Franklin crash's investigation as well- I am unaware of them having been made public.  

-Winston 

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Scsmedia]

I have finished ripping apart, err editing your letter.  I am surprised to see this recomendation in the letter.  I fully support it, but have always gotten push back on the committee when I have suggested it.

1. Eliminate right turns on red at traffic signals in the city. In the last few years, Atlanta, Seattle, and Washington, DC, banned right-on-red except in rare cases, to promote biking and walking safety and to slow traffic in those cities.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Zack Barowitz]

I think it’s a great letter and would not wait too long to send it. 

Zack 

207-838-6120

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[Myles G. Smith]

Update:

The same woman working in an administrative capacity in the traffic division called me back. This is my recollection of what was said:

PPD: "Yes, so we will not be releasing any more information on the accident as we are still gathering information and witness statements. When the investigation is over, the results will be public."

Myles: "Okay, I understand that. About how long will the investigation take?"

PPD: "I don't know, usually it takes like 2 or 3 months. They'll have to do a reconstruction of the accident."

Myles: "So, when the investigation is complete, will you provide some information to the public on what happened here or do we have to request it?"

PPD: "You have to request it from us."

Myles: "Have you completed the investigations into any of the other four deaths of pedestrians on the streets this year? Can I get that information?" 

PPD: "Yes, that is public."

Myles: "How do I do that? I'm looking around your website and not seeing any information on available police reports."

PPD: "Crashdocs.org. That's where you can get all the information that's public."

Myles: "And so I can go there and look them up?"

PPD: "Yes."

Myles: "I'm not actually trying to get information about the investigation. I'm trying to understand what the policy on public statements is. You're telling me you can't say anything about the speed or direction of the driver, but you've already told the public some from your incomplete investigation that implicates the pedestrian in her own death." 

PPD: "I'm not going to get into this with you."

Myles: "I'm just trying to understand, I'm not trying to argue with you. If it was a mistake to put in that detail, that's one thing. Mistakes happen, I understand that."

PPD: "I'm not going to fight with you about this."

Myles: "Who is fighting? I'm not fighting you. I'm just asking basic questions."

PPD: "If you want more information on an incident, you can request it from us."

Myles: "You mean like a FOIA request."

PPD: "Yes. We'll look it over and see how much it will cost."

Myles: "How much you'll charge me to fulfill the FOIA request?" 

PPD: "Yes."

Myles: "And otherwise I can look up public information on these other crashes at crashdocs.org?"

PPD: "Yes."

Myles: "Okay, thank you."

We hang up, and I immediately at www.crashdocs.org, and see that I would need a name, date, and reference number for each incident in order to look them up. I can find names and dates from media reports and BCM press releases. But the PPD would need to give me the reference numbers. I nearly threw my phone down on the driveway.

I call PPD back to get the admin's name and the reference numbers, and now no one is answering.

Pretty outrageous behavior.

I am choosing to believe that the comment about the runners crossing against the signal in the public report was just a mistake in judgement or a well-meaning attempt to reassure the public. I will give them the grace and deference they are not giving me.

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[Zoe Miller]

I think the letter is really well written and appreciate all the work that went into it! 

I wonder though if rather than asking for the 20-mile an hour citywide speed limit in this letter , it would be better to tackle separately. I've been following speed-limit setting policy for the past four years and we are still stuck with tge decision making power in MaineDOT's court. 

The temporary traffic calming is within the city's power to advance more quickly. 

Also, all of this makes me wonder what guidance police departments get from their legal counsel about statements after crashes. In Waterville, the immediate announcement was also very victim blaming. Perhaps there's a way to influence PDs from that standpoint. 

Thank you! 

Zoe Miller

207-838-8382

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[Christian MilNeil]

I'm not someone who's primed to expect a high degree of professionalism from the PPD, but whoa, this is a *wild* reaction. 

Makes me wonder if the perpetrator of this homicide is, or is related to, a cop. They're sure working hard to preemptively exonerate whoever the killer was. 

Christian MilNeil
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[Todd Russell]

Yeah that’s crazy stuff. Probably best to pursue the letter route and give the PPD the benefit of the doubt for now. But if it comes to it I’m sure some journalists would be interested. The Bollard is always looking for a story such as this

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 25, 2025, at 4:54 PM, Christian MilNeil <c.neal....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Rauschpfeife]

For what it's worth, and if the n00b can put his oar in here, I tend to think that letters to officials (especially cops) are less effective than something in the media. The Press-Herald is pretty receptive and I think sympathetic. They have I think a 250-word LTE limit. Happy to help draft, though I probably shouldn't sign, since they just ran a thing of mine. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Rauschpfeife]

The classic cop stonewall. They never change. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Rauschpfeife]

Data point: right on red is completely forbidden in NYC and always has been, except for a very few specific intersections. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Rauschpfeife]

I suspect the investigations go on forever, by design. Fuss dies down, everybody forgets, file under carpet. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Liz Trice]

looks good, I added some edits

[Paul Drinan]

Myles - thanks for doing the leg work on this. Yet again, we see the need for an open-source crash database. 

Regarding speed on Franklin Arterial: it's 0.7 miles from Marginal Way to Commercial St and the difference between traveling this distance at 35 vs 20 MPH is 54 SECONDS - 54!!!. This stat could be used as a rationale and tagline for change. Vision Zero Maine is willing to help push a 20 Is Plenty campaign either city-wide or on the peninsula. 

Paul Drinan

W: 207-370-7434

M: 207-615-5202 

pdr...@gmail.com

Vision Zero Maine

Friends of Fort Gorges

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[Myles G. Smith]

Folks, thank you for your inputs and suggestions. Liz, Paul, Sarah, Steven, Andrew, and others - all welcome. Paul, I loved the point about 54 seconds! Great illustration of what we're talking about.

On 20 is Plenty: I understand that Portland does not have all the cards on speed setting and MaineDOT is a huge problem. And, I also think that it's not our job as advocates to understand all the barriers and let those be excuses to not take action. In fact, I think of it the other way - we give Portland's leaders cover to demand action from Maine DOT if the city is telling them that the demand is coming from the community. 

On strategy for advocacy: I tend to think that any route which risks publicly naming and shaming the police is guaranteed to close them off to any suggestions. I wanted to write the letter partly to organize my own thoughts. I actually think a route that allows the police or staff to save face here is the best one. Universal positive regard, I believe it's called :)

At the moment, I'm backchanneling some of this content to see what approach will be the most likely to get some results.

Word is that there will be a vigil for the victim, Diane Bell, 75, on Monday evening. BCM and Portland Trails are coordinating, there will be more info shared by them on Friday or so. I plan to be there and I hope a lot of other folks on this list can join in solidarity, as well. 

Myles

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[Scsmedia]

Waiting to hear back from Dr. Tice on her quote.

You should take Sarah's two suggested paragraphs.

The timing on the vigil is not good as the City Council Inaugural meeting is at 6:00 pm.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Sarah Baker]

As predicted, I regret reading the comments on the post about the vigil. The shift from "accident" to "traffic violence" seems very difficult for some people. Accident implies inevitability, suggesting there is no fault and nothing could be done, while violence emphasizes responsibility (the outcome of a choice such as speeding, distracted driving, poor infrastructure). Those same people seem to have no problem calling it an "accident" in the very same sentence in which they place blame on the pedestrian. Admittedly, I am not sure how prevalent the term "traffic violence" is in communication, but helping people reframe could be part of some larger campaign (if not already). It truly is a preventable harm that should not be minimized with the "accident" label. 

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SARAH BAKER

baker....@gmail.com

[Rauschpfeife]

I prefer the straightforward Anglo-Saxon. E.g. "Jane Roe, walking south across Franklin Avenue, was killed by John Doe, driving his car east along Marginal Way". Loan-words from Latin or French or Greek tend to have a more abstract character -- "violence" (< violentia) is in fact an abstract noun, morphologically. And it has a somewhat moralizing, argumentative tone. "Kill" adheres to the Joe Friday principle: "Just the facts, Ma'am." Also, I think the  passive voice should always be avoided. 

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Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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