Royersford Police Chief Kevin Schurr released information late Tuesday night in regard to a fatal accident that occurred during rush hour in Royersford.
An investigation is still ongoing in the death of a 72-year-old man that occurred on Main Street in Royersford on Tuesday night. The accident occurred at 6:15 p.m. between 9th Avenue and Lewis Road, near Advanced Auto Parts.
Royersford Police Chief Kevin Schurr said Samuel Murdock, 72, of Vincent Heights in Spring City, was coming from Royersford Veterinary Hospital, 850 Main St., after he picked up his cat. Murdock attempted to cross the street to get to the bus stop, which would have taken him back to his home in Spring City.
He was struck by a 1996 Jeep Cherokee, driven by Kimberly Villanova of Schwenksville. Murdock suffered severe head trauma. Royersford Officer David Taylor reported earlier in the night that a witness/passerby performed CPR on Murdock until EMS came to the scene. Schurr said Murdock was preliminarily pronounced dead on the scene. He was transported to the hospital and subsequently pronounced dead due to his injuries.
"[The road] is heavily-traveled at that point in time," Schurr said. "It was rush hour and it's dark at that point. He cut across diagonal in front of the Veterinary Hospital to get to the other side of Main Street and was impacted by Ms. Villanova, who was traveling westbound. She did not see him in the travel portion of the road. All indications indicate the impact did occur in the traveled lane."
In the aftermath of the accident, Murdock's cat carrier was broken on the side of the road. Schurr confirmed that someone on the scene of the accident recovered Murdock's cat. The cat appears to be OK and is back at the Veterinary Hospital. It will be released to Murdock's relatives on Wednesday.
The family, who is not in the immediate area, was notified of the incident. From what police know, Schurr said, Murdock resided by himself.
The road was closed from the time of the accident until about 10 p.m., when it was reopened to the public. Schurr confirmed Villanova stayed on scene and cooperated with police after the accident. No charges have been released for Villanova. Schurr confirmed that speed was not a factor in the accident, but a toxicology report is pending.
ALICE
12:49 am on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
You will be missed "DOC". i will cherish the moments we had you and the many stories and subjects we would argue about,in a fun way. You were always so artistic,eccentric,funny,and highly intelligent. You saw things in ways many of us wish we could. I will miss you my brother-in-law...you are in GODS hands and i think HE will put you in charge of all the beloved cats...send me a GOD WINK when you can....Alice R.I.P.
jackaroe
10:25 am on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
this is tragic :(. my love to the family.
BHN
1:21 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
royersford could take half the lights that they put up in town and have enough to go from 5th to 9th no problem ...there are way too many lights down town and not enough lights the rest of main street past nelsons up to the new wall on 10th ave. Wasted money putting a whole lot of lights in one section which is almost half furniture store. Spread the light up the street .....
RachelGiant
2:13 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Very sad and truly a tragic accident. Heartfelt condolences to the family.
platypusRN
7:23 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
We tried to save him. God needed him more. RIP
Kathleen
1:42 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
How sad. RIP Mr. Murdoch. God Bless his family and friends. I didn't know Mr Murdoch but saw the story and it made me cry. Just so sad, just trying to provide care for his feline friend. Please be careful out there everyone, drivers and pedestrians.
Baries
7:54 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
So, what is happening with the driver of the vehicle that hit this poor senior citizen? Maybe Royersford should consider speed humps in the road that is SUPPOSED to be a 25mph zone....crossing the street should not get a person killed! How can you not see a person!!??
Stephen Eickhoff
1:01 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
I understand everyone's feelings on this, but we don't know how fast the car was going. Chief Schurr seems to believe that Mr. Murdock may have been crossing the intersection diagonally, which is dangerous. At rush hour, it's likely that there were cars in the turn lanes, which makes it even more dangerous due to reduced visibility. A lack of attention or a distraction could have caused this: a 25 MPH impact is quite fast enough to kill someone.
Kevin Haslam
9:19 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Baries - Still under investigation. We hope to have more information next week.
Christopher.snyder
10:51 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Baries is correct. It's SUPPOSED to be 25, but nobody goes 25 from 10th ave up to Lewis. EVERYBODY is going no less then 40.
jackaroe
1:10 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
its true... that no one goes 25 mph through there. its no different than the royersford elementary school zone. it says 15mph but people are doing 40mph. the speed zones are only good when enforced. i don't care of the man was dancing in the middle of the road... at 25mph through rush hour traffic no less there should be a level of awareness. there is a lack of respect for people crossing the road and it seems to be quite common that people are getting struck by cars in Royersford.
Joni
3:37 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
I travel this road often and was there ten minutes after the accident. That section of Main St is not very well lit, and as dark as it was even with normal rush hour traffic I can see how it would be difficult to see a pedestrian crossing street.
I find it hard to believe that anyone is going 40 miles an hour at 6:00 pm at that light. It's a congested area and most nights I rarely get out of second gear until I am blocks away.
Michael Murdock
8:37 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Such a "congested" area...yet the police have not ONE witness?
ALICE
6:41 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Mike and i live in rural Maryland and we have DARK roads. Thats why cars have headlights. I truly think this was caused by inattentiveness, but only 2 know the truth..the driver and God