Woman Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries When Car Backs Into Her

A Fort Lee woman was hospitalized in critical condition Friday with what police described as “life-threatening injuries” after being hit by a car that was backing up in the parking lot of the Whiteman Plaza Shopping Center on Lemoine Avenue, authorities said.

Fort Lee police received “numerous 911 calls” of a pedestrian struck at 1605 Lemoine Ave. shortly after the accident, which occurred at 12:34 p.m. Friday, police said.

Officers from the Fort Lee Police Department’s Patrol Division, Detective Bureau and Traffic Bureau responded to the scene, as did the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, police said.

On-scene investigators concluded that Ja Sung Roh, 92, of Fort Lee, was hit by a 2007 black Saab driven by Michael Arabia, 42, of Hawthorne, as Roh was walking southbound in the parking lot and Arabia was backing out of a parking space, police said.

Roh was treated at the scene by members of the Fort Lee Ambulance Corps and Englewood Paramedics and transported to a local hospital, where further information regarding her condition was unknown as of Friday evening, according to police.

Arabia was charged with careless driving but remained at the scene and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, police said. 

“There’s no indication of criminal intent,” said Capt. Keith Bendul of the . “The investigators will be responding out to the hospital for follow-up.”

The accident Friday happened in spite of the local police department’s continued in light of a rash of such incidents recently.

“This is the reason why we are focused on pedestrian safety,” Bendul told Patch. “Last week , and they were with minor injuries. And here, a few days later, we have an elderly pedestrian walking in a parking lot and is struck by a car.”

Bendul said Fort Lee police will continue their focus on pedestrian safety by enforcing and continuing a crackdown on in crosswalks.

“We’re stressing to everybody, drivers and pedestrians, to remain vigilant about their surroundings and their environment,” Bendul said. “We’re desperately trying to do everything we can to prevent more injuries and more crashes.”

Friday’s accident is currently being investigated by the Fort Lee Police Department’s Accident Investigation Unit. Police urge anyone who witnessed the collision to call the Traffic Bureau at 201-592-3700, ext. 5230.

Patch will provide updates as more information becomes available.