OCEAN CITY -- The first significant pedestrian-vehicle collision of the young tourism season occurred over the weekend when a Pennsylvania man darted across Coastal Highway at 49th Street and was struck by a vehicle, rolled over the windshield and fled the scene, only to be caught later.

Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police responded to the area of Coastal Highway and 49th Street for a reported motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. Officers arrived on the scene and met with the driver, who, along with several witnesses, told police an unidentified male attempted to cross the highway from west to east when he was struck by the southbound vehicle.

The pedestrian, who was crossing against the traffic signal, rolled onto the windshield, causing damage to the vehicle, before getting up and fleeing the scene. Ocean City Police were unable to locate the pedestrian immediately. However, later the same morning, Ocean City Police and EMS responded to the Quality Inn on 54th Street for a report of an injured male, later identified as Samuel Louis Cribbs, 24, of Murraysville, Pa., who was bleeding. Once on the scene, Ocean City Police were able to determine Cribbs was allegedly the pedestrian struck while crossing Coastal Highway at 49th Street hours earlier.

Cribbs was transported to PRMC for treatment of undisclosed injuries. Based on the information provided by the driver and witnesses, Cribbs was charged as a pedestrian unsafely crossing the roadway. The driver, whose name has not been released, was determined to have been sober and was released at the scene.

Sunday morning’s pedestrian-vehicle collision was the first of the early season and came after a town of Ocean City and State Highway Administration (SHA) partnership to increase awareness and improve pedestrian safety on Coastal Highway, including the installation of markings at certain traditionally troublesome intersections including 49th Street.