WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — The smiling image displayed on the American flag stands as a sad reminder why Water Street is temporarily closed to through traffic as the township board of commissioners decide how to prevent future tragedies.
The image is that of Edward D. Tomcics, 75, whose life came to a horrifying end when he was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle as he tried to cross the street to his home on Christmas night last year.
After many years of fielding complaints from Water Street residents about the number of vehicles that speed through the 17-feet-wide, two-way street with a 25 mph speed limit, the death of Tomcics, a retired Marine Corps sergeant, was the final straw…