Pedestrian seriously injured by driver in State College-area crash, investigation ongoing

A pedestrian was seriously injured after sunset Saturday when he was hit by a driver in Patton Township, police wrote in a statement Monday.

A 26-year-old man was hit about 8 p.m. Saturday when he attempted to cross Waddle Road at its intersection with Clearview Avenue, police wrote. The man was in the crosswalk, police wrote.

The driver was making a left turn from Clearview Avenue onto Waddle Road. Township police Chief Tyler Jolley did not specify the make and model of the vehicle.

Neither speed, drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors, Jolley said, though he cautioned the ongoing investigation is still in its early phases.

The weather at 8 p.m. Saturday in the State College area was cloudy and rainy, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker said. It rained for much of the day.

The pedestrian was transported via ambulance to UPMC Altoona for treatment, police wrote. The driver was not injured.

The Centre County Accident Reconstruction Team, Centre LifeLink EMS and Alpha fire police assisted. A portion of Waddle Road was closed for more than two hours. Those who witnessed the crash may call police at 800-479-0050.

The number of serious or fatal crashes involving pedestrians decreased every year from 2018 to 2021 in Centre County, state Department of Transportation data showed.

There were 11 such crashes in 2018; that number dropped to one in 2021, PennDOT data showed. More than half of all serious or fatal pedestrian crashes during the past decade in Centre County were in the Centre Region.