News Photo by Julie Riddle A traffic sign cautions motorists near St. Mary Catholic Church in Alpena. A woman was injured by a vehicle near the church Wednesday evening.

ALPENA — An Alpena woman was struck by a vehicle around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, breaking bones in her legs and face and leaving her hospitalized in Grand Rapids.

According to family, Madelyn Precour, 71, was crossing N. 2nd Avenue at the West Miller Street intersection in Alpena on her way to mass at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception when she was struck by a truck.

She was taken to Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids for surgery.

While alarmed by the incident, neighbors were not surprised to learn that someone had been injured.

“People haul through here,” said Dale Hiske, 58, who lives on the corner of the intersection.

Several other neighbors expressed frustration with the speed of local drivers, especially in the evenings.

The intersection currently utilizes a single hanging traffic signal, flashing red toward Miller Street drivers and yellow toward 2nd Avenue. Pedestrian signals are installed at the intersection, but are not functional.

A local business owner recounted regular sightings of drivers blasting through the red light or coming to a stop at the yellow, complicating traffic flow.

“It’s confusing,” said Hiske. “They need to make it a total stop or reactivate the normal lights.”

Neighbor Carmen Villeneuve, 56, was taken aback by the news that another pedestrian had been hit at the corner. Four years ago, her then-7-year-old grandson, Sean Villeneuve, was crossing Miller when a truck turned off of 2nd and struck the boy, hospitalizing him, she said.

“I watched the truck go right over him,” Villeneuve said.

At the time of that incident, the corner utilized a traditional three-color traffic light.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com.