A 73-year-old St. Petersburg man was killed Tuesday when a vehicle slammed into him on 38th Avenue N, police said.
Dennison Rusinow, wearing glasses and dress shoes, was crossing the street from north to south at about 4:45 p.m. when a 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck, traveling east, ran into him, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Rusinow had parked his car in a nearby parking lot and was heading toward the Publix shopping center, police said.
Rusinow, of 1065 Eden Isle Blvd. NE, was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center, police said.
The driver of the pickup, Clifton White, 73, of 5817 Woodrow Wilson Blvd., was not injured, police said. No charges have been filed, police said.
Moments before the crash, Bob Cholak, 50, of St. Petersburg, saw Rusinow crossing the street. He slowed to let him pass, then saw White's pickup truck slam into him, he said.
Blank sheets of paper that Rusinow was carrying fluttered across the roadway.
Another driver, carpenter Joseph Nepywoda, was traveling east on 38th Avenue N in a Ford pickup, when his passenger, Estelle Gannuccelli, screamed. They saw Rusinow lying on the roadway, and Nepywoda jumped out of his truck and raced over.
He leaned over the 73-year-old man, searching for a pulse.
"Nothing," he said. "No response at all."
While police began their investigation, the driver of the first pickup, White, sat quietly, his head cradled in his hands.
- Jamie Jones can be reached at 893-8455. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com
