As a township resident, I've wonder why Haddon Township ever even considered sponsoring a bar crawl on St. Patty's Day or any other occasion, as they have over the last few years. While there are apparent safety precautions is place, the liability exposure is just too great, especially considering present liquor liability laws in NJ and our litigious society.

While all the facts of this pedestrian & car accident are not yet known, from my experience of handling such accidents over 25 years the pedestrian is rarely held to be more than 50% liable for her/his injuries. In NJ one can be up to 50% negligent and still collect the value of 50% of their injuries.

We'll have to see how this plays out. Did the pedestrian and/or the driver attend the event? If so was either intoxicated? Did the pedestrian jaywalk? Like I said, there are unknown facts at this time.

A pub crawl in a large city is a fun event. A pub crawl in a crowded area like Haddon Township is a mistake unless HT closes the area and allows only pedestrian traffic. Pub cralwers and NJ driversare not a safe mix. Next year I suggest HT allow wild animals like bears and lions and maybe even crocodiles to roam the streets during the crawl to step up the danger level.