TRUMBULL COUNTY Man killed crossing street

Lights and stripes at the crossing were eliminated by repaving, an official said.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- The city safety director says the pedestrian crossing where a man was killed Monday should be removed.
Joseph Venglarcik, 83, of Shadow Run Apartments on West Liberty Street was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
Safety Director William Jugenheimer said Monday that motorists haven't been paying attention to the road at the crossing and it should be removed.
Venglarcik was known around town for addressing city council meetings. Wounded while serving in the Army during World War II, he often spoke in support of veterans' benefits.
It wasn't unusual for him to show up at the city administration building and police headquarters, talking about what was going on throughout the city.
About a year and a half ago, he began using a wheelchair after a leg was amputated.
Police Sgt. Louis Carsone said Venglarcik was attempting to cross West Liberty near the Hubbard Public Library shortly before 8:30 a.m. when he was struck by a westbound vehicle driven by Joel Sabella, 74, of East Liberty Street.
Carsone said the death remains under investigation and no charge has been filed.
Lights, stripes removed
Carsone pointed out that the pedestrian stripes on the road surface in the area where Venglarcik was struck had been obliterated during the recent repaving of West Liberty and North Main streets.
Jugenheimer said that removing the old surface of the street resulted in the elimination of the stripes and lights embedded in the road surface.
Motorists, he explained, couldn't see the road lighting before resurfacing until they were very close to them.
During normal operation, a pedestrian pushes a button on a pole to activate the flashing caution lights over the road before crossing.
What occurred Monday at the crossing remains unclear, Carsone said.
Venglarcik complained to police about a month ago that he was nearly run over while crossing a street.
Mayor Arthur U. Magee said Monday that Venglarcik was a proud man who didn't want help because of his disability. Magee noted Venglarcik had twice overturned his wheelchair at the road and didn't want help.
yovich@vindy.com