A 57-year-old Westfield resident died after being struck by a vehicle at the intersection of West Main and Coach streets in downtown Rahway on Tuesday night, and the driver was hospitalized after suffering his own medical emergency while speaking with responding officers. Rahway police say the crash happened just after 10 pm, and the pedestrian later died of her injuries at an area hospital.
According to NJ.com, the crash occurred at 10:08 pm Tuesday at the West Main and Coach intersection, a stretch of downtown Rahway that has previously seen infrastructure attention. Police have not publicly identified the man, who lived roughly six miles away by road in Westfield, per Rome2Rio.
Driver Hospitalized Mid-Interview With Officers
The outlet's report notes that the driver was speaking with police at the scene when he suddenly began suffering a medical emergency and had to be taken to the hospital himself. No further details about the nature of that medical episode have been released, and the same report does not indicate whether the pedestrian was inside a marked crosswalk when she was struck.
Rahway police are still investigating and are asking witnesses and anyone with surveillance footage or dashboard-camera video from the West Main and Coach Street area to contact the department at 732-388-1900.
What New Jersey Law Says About Crashes and Sudden Medical Emergencies
New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 39:4-36 requires drivers to stop and stay stopped for pedestrians in marked crosswalks and to yield at unmarked crosswalks, which legally exist at nearly every intersection, according to Mandelbaum Barrett PC. Under a related provision, N.J.S.A. 39:4-36(d), the law creates a permissive inference that a driver failed to exercise due care when a vehicle strikes a pedestrian at an intersection, with violations causing serious injury carrying fines up to $500, up to 25 days imprisonment, or license suspension, per FindLaw.
However, a driver who experiences a sudden, unforeseeable physical incapacity — such as a stroke or heart attack — may be able to raise New Jersey's “sudden medical emergency” defense to avoid civil negligence liability, according to the Epstein Law Firm. That defense fails, the firm notes, if the driver had a known pre-existing medical risk or was driving against a doctor's orders. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(c), criminal assault-by-auto charges require proof that a driver acted recklessly.
A Downtown Corridor Built With Pedestrians in Mind
The West Main Street corridor near Coach Street was previously folded into New Jersey Department of Transportation capital improvement planning aimed at creating a safer pedestrian environment through decorative crosswalks, curbing, and lighting as part of downtown Rahway's broader revitalization. Union County's Bureau of Traffic Safety and Maintenance also conducts countywide traffic assessments and pavement marking across the county's 21 municipalities to address vehicle and pedestrian hazards.
The fatal crash comes amid a troubling statewide trend. New Jersey recorded 221 pedestrian fatalities in 2024, a 29 percent jump from the prior year and one of the deadliest years on record for pedestrians in the state, according to State Police data cited by Rosenblum Law.
Rahway police, who operate out of headquarters at 1 City Hall Plaza, have not released any additional details about the driver's condition or the pedestrian's identity as the investigation continues.
