Pedestrian seriously injured when hit by driver in Ferguson Township, third in past 5 weeks
A Ferguson Township woman was seriously injured after dusk Tuesday when she was hit by a driver, making her at least the third pedestrian to be seriously injured by a driver in the past five weeks in Centre County.
A man driving an SUV hit the 64-year-old woman about 7 p.m. Tuesday along the 800 block of Science Park Road, Ferguson Township police Cpl. Kevin Laudenslager said. A bikeway crosses the road.
The driver was traveling southbound on Science Park Road when he hit the woman, Laudenslager said. Neither alcohol nor drugs are believed to be a factor, he said. An investigation is ongoing.
The woman was flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Altoona. She is in critical condition, Laudenslager said. The driver was not injured.
Science Park Road was closed for more than two hours between Circleville Road and Sandy Drive. Patton Township police, Centre LifeLink EMS, Alpha Fire Co. and the Centre County Accident Reconstruction Team assisted.
Fall is the most dangerous time for pedestrians to be seriously or fatally injured in Centre County.
Twenty such crashes occurred in autumn — September through November — from 2013 through 2022, the most recent data published by the Transportation Department data showed.
Thirteen occurred in both spring and winter, while 12 occurred in the summer. Most crashes happen in the Centre Region, the most populated set of municipalities in Centre County.
Four such crashes were reported in Ferguson Township during the previous decade, the fourth most of an municipality in the county. Nineteen were reported in State College.