ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — There are growing calls for improved safety considerations on Abbott Road north of Highmark Stadium after a hit-and-run incident left a pedestrian with serious injuries.
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On Sunday, September 8th, following the Buffalo Bills home opener against the Arizona Cardinals, Orchard Park Police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on W. Abbott Grove less than a half-mile North of the stadium.
After turning north onto Abbott Road, the driver fled the scene, before being arrested and charged with a variety of charges including Felony DWI. The pedestrian suffered extensive upper body injuries and was taken to ECMC.
"Just a scary experience, not something you'd expect," said Adam Belica, who witnessed the hit-and-run.
Belica shared a video of the aftermath of the accident with 7 News. The video, taken by Belica's girlfriend, shows fans trying to pull the driver out of the vehicle on Abbott Road before he eventually pulled free and drove off.
"Some bystanders tried to pull him out, as you can see, he sped right off," said Belica.
Belica, who grew up only a mile from Highmark Stadium, says he and his family often use Abbott Road to walk to and from Buffalo Bills home games.
Belica believes Sunday's incident highlights a critical need for sidewalks to be added on this busy stretch of Abbott that is packed with Bills fans on game days.
"It's been a mess forever," says Belica, "There's got to be a sidewalk put on Abbott Road down there. I know this incident wasn't exactly the result of not having a sidewalk, but the safety of pedestrians getting home should be one of the top priorities,"
Patrick Fitzgerald, The Chief of Police for the Town of Orchard Park, says the area of Southwestern Boulevard and Abbott Road is by far the "busiest stadium zone."
"We are talking about a significant volume of vehicular traffic, but also pedestrian traffic at the same time. It's a lot of people taking up space over there and everyone's moving to a destination," said Chief Fitzgerald.
And on game days Chief Fitzgerald says that can mean more than 70,000 people often coming and going from the stadium all at once, sometimes in difficult weather, and darkness.
"I think anytime you're mixing pedestrians and vehicles in the same area, and you're including alcohol and you're including darkness, it's a recipe for disaster," said Chief Fitzgerald. "We know we've had games last season where we had, you know pedestrians struck, in certain cases, they were fatal crashes, and yo know, we know the repercussions for that"
So should changes be made to make it safer for pedestrians around the stadium?
"I think there are changes that could be made, that will allow pedestrians to be able to get to and from the stadium in a manner that keeps them safe," said Chief Fitzgerald.
And with the construction of the new $1.7 Billion Highmark Stadium underway and future development around the new home of the Bills being planned, is now the time for additional safety features for pedestrians to be a part of the conversation?
"You know between now and when the new stadium opens my assumption is there is going to be some changes, some changes to not only traffic flow, but changes to get pedestrians to and from," said Chief Fitzgerald.
7 News reached out to Erie County to see if sidewalks are a part of the plan for future development in Orchard Park.
An Erie County spokesperson said that sidewalks could be installed at "any time" but added that under NYS Highway Law, sidewalks are the responsibility of the municipality on State and County roads.
"The County continues to advocate for funding sources from the State and Federal side so the Town can build the sidewalks," said the spokesperson. "The County only permits the sidewalk along our roads, it doesn’t build them. The estimated cost is about $1 million a mile, both sides of the road for sidewalk. That does not include any property acquisition needed."
7 News Anchor Jeff Russo reached out to Orchard Park Town Supervisor Eugene Majchrzak to see if new sidewalks on Abbott Road are a part of future plans, but did not here back.
