A pedestrian trying to cross busy McClellan highway early Wednesday morning was struck and killed by a van according to police and MassDOT.
According to authorities Emerson Marroquin was trying to cross near McClellan Highway and Curtis Street at 2 a.m. last Wednesday, but was killed when he was run over by a black van.
The accident forced authorities to close McClellan for several hours ahead of the busy morning commute.
A medical examiner was on the scene after the accident and the black van with a cracked windshield was towed away from the scene.
Marroquin worked at Antonia’s at The Beach Restaurant and Bar on Revere Beach.
In a statement the staff at Antonia’s shared their grief at the loss of Marroquin.
“(This) is very sad news to share. Recently we lost one our hard workers and Antonia’s family members. Our thought and prayers are with the family during this time. If you knew Emerson, you know he helped make Antonia’s a special place.If you wish to donate to the family, we will help facilitate anything you wish to donate. Emerson will live forever in our hearts.”
Those looking to make donations to the family can drop by Antonia’s at 492 Revere Beach Blvd, Revere, and speak with a manager.
This is not the first time a pedestrian has been killed trying to cross McClellan and some wonder why crossing the highway is encouraged by MassDOT.
Just a few hundred yards from where Marroquin was killed on Addison Street there is a pedestrian crossing sign and a pass through in the guardrail of the divided highway.
Many mornings and afternoons dozens of workers heading to work at the Sterlingwear factory on McClellan Highway can be seen navigating across the busy highway.
“I’m still surprised that this crosswalk is still here without MassDOT or BTD doing anything about it,” said Magdalena Ayed. “This is ludicrous and negligence. Clearly some urban transportation planner decided that this is a popular crossing point for pedestrians (which it is) but the BTD or MassDOT or whoever did this thought it would be sufficient to put a pedestrian sign that does not stop traffic at all. There has been two fatalities at this pedestrian crossover with no accountability by the state or city. This is negligence at its best. I’m going to email BTD and MassDOT on this one ASAP.”