A 67-year-old Amherst man died after being struck by a car while crossing Sheridan Drive at Tavistock Lane, according to the Amherst Police Department. Police, fire and EMS personnel tried to administer first aid, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the crash.
Authorities responded to the scene after reports of a serious crash, as first reported by News 4 Buffalo. Police say a red 2022 Toyota RAV4 was traveling east on Sheridan Drive when it struck the man as he was attempting to cross the street in the roadway, according to WKBW. The RAV4 was being driven by a 26-year-old man from Tonawanda, and the driver was not injured in the crash.
Accounts of the exact timing of the crash differ. Audacy/WBEN reported that police said the crash happened around 9:15 a.m. Monday, while a search-result snippet from WGRZ placed the incident near Tavistock Lane around 9:30 a.m. that same morning. Audacy/WBEN reported that the pedestrian suffered critical injuries and, despite first-aid efforts, died at the scene.
Road Closed for Hours During Investigation
Sheridan Drive was partially closed for more than three hours while police investigated the crash. Westbound Sheridan Drive from Transit Road was shut down during that time but has since reopened, per the station's report. All roadways in the area have since reopened to traffic.
The Amherst Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the crash, or who has dash-camera or surveillance footage of the area, to contact investigators at (716) 689-1311.
Sheridan Drive's History of Pedestrian Fatalities
Monday's crash is not the first fatal pedestrian incident reported on the corridor. The Buffalo News previously reported that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on a Saturday night on Sheridan Drive later died at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital from his injuries, according to Amherst police, as detailed by The Buffalo News. In another case reported by Audacy/WBEN, a woman struck while crossing Sheridan Drive on a Sunday night died from her injuries at ECMC; police identified her as 48-year-old Angelique Houston. The dates of those earlier incidents relative to Monday's crash were not available in the reporting reviewed for this story.
New York State maintains downloadable pedestrian and motor-vehicle crash fact sheets covering a dozen focus-community counties, along with separate Upstate and Long Island data, according to the State of New York. No crash counts or trend data specific to Sheridan Drive were provided alongside that resource.
No further details about the crash, including its cause, had been released as of Monday's reporting. The Amherst Police Department's investigation into the fatal collision remains ongoing.
