HIT PEDESTRIAN IN GRAVE CONDITION.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - A 44-year-old Glendale pedestrian was listed Thursday in grave condition after being hit by a car as he crossed the street from getting a cup of coffee, officials said.

Philip Bernier was being treated in the intensive care unit at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, where he was taken after being hit early Wednesday by a Lexus driven by In Soon Lee, 61, of Torrance. Bernier was in a crosswalk on Brand Boulevard near Laurel Street when he was hit, officials said.

``He lives in the area. His daily ritual was to get coffee at Glendale Memorial Hospital,'' said police Lt. Don Meredith, who would not say whether Lee was speeding.

Witnesses are urged to call the police at [phone].

Bernier suffered head injuries and severe leg trauma, officials.

Three pedestrians have been killed this year in car collisions in Glendale, one less than last year. Meredith said the city averages four to eight pedestrian fatalities a year.

The most recent pedestrian fatality occurred on May 3, when a van hit 60-year-old Yen Hong Chow Louie of Los Angeles near North Brand Boulevard and California Avenue.

To address traffic concerns, the City Council approved hiring three more motorcycle officers in fiscal 2001, boosting the ranks of the traffic department to 16.

However, Fox said so far the new positions have yet to be filled and that the Police Department overall is nine officers short.

``Our problem is hiring police officers is not like going out to buy a refrigerator. You appropriate for it, but it takes six months to a year to get them on line,'' said Councilman Bob Yousefian, who believes more visible presence of police officers would make drivers less reckless.

Currently, the Police Department takes a multipronged approach to pedestrian safety through education, sting operations in which officers pose as pedestrians, traffic engineering to make streets safer and citations.

The Police Department is working on getting a grant to fund television commercials to promote pedestrian safety. The city's traffic engineering department is also seeking a grant to pay for more light-up crosswalks, which have proven effective at reducing pedestrian injuries on Glendale Avenue at Cypress and Maple streets.

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Pedestrian hit in crosswalk