A 75-year-old man died Christmas night after being struck by a vehicle while he was crossing Water Street in Whitehall Township.

Edward D. Tomcics, of Whitehall, was a pedestrian who was hit by a motor vehicle just before 7 p.m. Dec. 25 in the 3200 block of Water Street.

He was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, Bethlehem, where he died, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.

According to Coroner Daniel Buglio, an autopsy determined Tomcics died from blunt force injuries due to a pedestrian/motor vehicle collision. He ruled the manner of death an accident.

Traffic on Water Street was the subject of a Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting back in 2019.

At the Aug. 5 meeting, residents addressed the board about cars speeding in that area, using it as a shortcut.

Whitehall-Coplay Press coverage of the meeting, which appeared in the Aug. 8, 2019, edition, included statements by residents that the speed of some vehicles often makes their houses shake.

The township engineer suggested one solution might be a speed table, which is similar to a speed bump in its purpose but is longer and flat-topped, providing a gentler transition. He added, though, a traffic study would be required before any traffic-calming measures could be taken.

Water Street, a narrow roadway along the Lehigh River, has no sidewalks.

One resident said his car was hit by another car as he tried to back out of his driveway, adding it’s hard for him to even walk his dog.

“I’m up against the driveways trying not to get run over,” he said. “It’s insane.”

“The street is 17 feet wide in front of my house,” another resident said. “There’s barely enough room for two cars to pass.

“It’s dangerous,” he added, “and someone’s going to get killed someday.”

An investigation is being conducted by Whitehall Township Police Department, Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and the county coroner’s office. As of press time, no update on the incident or any charges against a driver of the vehicle was released.