A man was hit by a car in front of Ansonia City Hall on Main Street Thursday afternoon.
Police have not identified the man, but friends said it was Adam Lein — and that it was the second time he’s been hit by a car in downtown Ansonia in the past year.
“The truck hit him and he bounced off the brown car,” said Catherine Simon, a friend of Lein’s who was on Main Street with him Thursday.
Lein was taken to Bridgeport Hospital complaining of neck and back pain. He may have suffered a head injury as well.
Simon said she was sitting in the park next to City Hall, when Lein went to drop something off at her apartment across the street.
He was stepping out between two cars directly in front of City Hall, when the passenger side mirror on a Ford F150 truck struck Lein.
Main Street was shut down for several minutes while EMS crews stabilized Lein and loaded him into the ambulance.
Lein was not in the crosswalk at the time of the accident, witnesses said.
The truck was driven by Pete Cruz.
Cruz said Lein appeared from in between two cars and positioned himself in a weird way on the side of the street.
“When I saw him, I heard this bang, and I just stopped,” Cruz said.
“I saw him at the very last minute,” he said.
Cruz stayed on the sidewalk as Lein was taken to the hospital, and gave police a statement after the scene was cleared up. It is not clear if he was issued a ticket as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Second Time
The accident shook up Lein’s friends because it was the second time he was hit by a car.
The first time was in October, when Lein and Simon’s husband, Jospeh Simon, were crossing Bridge Street.
A driver hit them while they were in the crosswalk in front of J.R.B.‘s.
Police arrested the driver for driving under the influence for the incident.
“He was hurt really badly last time,” Catherine Simon said of Lein. “He’s still recovering and still in a lot of pain.”
Lein underwent two surgeries the night of the October accident and more surgeries afterward. He had serious head injuries, a broken leg and other injuries.
Joseph Simon said Lein had only recently had bolts removed from his leg.
“I just feel one of these days, somebody is going to be crossing here and somebody’s going to get killed,” Joseph Simon said.
