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Articles Tagged with Bronx pedestrian accident

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 epilepsyA New York taxi driver who fatally struck two pedestrians in the Bronx after he stopped taking his epilepsy medication pled guilty to one count of assault, a class D felony, and two counts of homicide. On March 20 2015, Emilio Garcia who had been off his epilepsy medications for 3 months, lost control of his taxi and fatally struck 5 year old Tierre Clark and 25 year old Kadeem Brown on the Grand Concourse near 170th Street in the Bronx. Several pedestrians were also injured during the crash. The accident occurred 3 months after a previous collision during which Garcia injured another driver in New York City. Drivers who, like Garcia, are affected by a medical condition that can affect driving, such as epilepsy, are supposed to report their condition to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Garcia never disclosed his condition. Not even at the time of the first accident. He just continued to drive despite knowing that his negligent behavior was putting road users at risks of dangerous accidents. The Taxi and Limousine Commission also failed to prevent Garcia from continuing to drive after the first accident. The taxi driver is expected to be sentenced in December.

Epilepsy is a serious condition that can be treated. Anyone suffering from this condition and driving a vehicle has to be medicated. Unfortunately Garcia is not the first driver who got off his meds and ended up killing pedestrians in New York City.  In 2015 in the Bronx,  a man who didn’t take his medications had a seizure behind the wheel and killed a 10 year old girl, her grand father and another man. He was charged with manslaughter.  In 2008 a garbage truck driver who was off his meds killed two people after loosing control of his truck. He was convicted of murder.

Picture: Courtesy of Pixabay

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location of Bronx fatal truck accident

A pedestrian was fatally hit by a box truck in New York City yesterday morning. The 60 year old man was crossing the intersection of Webster Avenue and East 193rd Street around 7:12 am when he was struck by a box truck. According to the police, the truck driver was waiting for the light at the intersection. When the light turned green he accelerated and fatally hit the pedestrian. He remained at the scene of the accident and wasn’t arrested. The pedestrian died at the scene of the accident. The police are still investigating.

The intersection is very large and very dangerous with a history of accidents. According to the Vision Zero map, since 2009, 6 pedestrians, 3 cyclists and 26 motorists were injured in accidents at this spot.  In 2009, 1 pedestrian, 1 cyclists and 4 motorists were injured in accidents at this location. In 2010, another pedestrian was injured. In 2011, 9 motorists, 1 cyclist and 2 pedestrians suffered personal injury at this dangerous intersection. In 2012, again 2 pedestrians, 1 cyclist and 2 motorists were injured. In 2014, 2 motorists were injured. Another motorist and a pedestrian were injured in 2015. Last year an additional pedestrian was hurt as well as 3 motorists. So far this year 5 motorists were injured in crashes at this particular location.

Picture: Google Maps

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6 people were injured including 3 seriously in a car accident in Staten Island, NYC on Sunday. A 74 year old driver who was backing out of a parking spot in front of a laundromat, hit the gas instead of the brake and reared back at full speed in the busy laundromat. The storefront was completely destroyed and damages are estimated to be above $20,000. 8 customers were inside the laundromat at the time of the accident. 6 of them were hurt including a pregnant woman who complained she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. She was in a lot of pain according to witnesses. Some of the customers were directly hit by the car and others by the folding tables that came crashing against the washing machines and dryers. The accident was extremely scary.  According to the owner of the laundromat it is not the first time that a car crashed into the storefront. Another car crashed into the laundromat last year according to the owner. See video of the accident below and read more in the Gothamist

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accident sceneA pedestrian died in a Bronx car accident  on Friday afternoon. The 77 year old man was trying to cross the Hutchinson River Parkway near the Pelham parkway when he was hit by a car. He was rushed to the hospital where he died. The driver who hit him stayed at the scene of the accident. He wasn’t charged. Read more in the NY Daily News

Also in the Bronx during the weekend 4 people were injured in a car accident related to speed.  Around 6 AM on Sunday morning the driver of a black sedan lost control of his vehicle and crashed into several pillars before hitting another car.  The accident occurred near Sands Place  in Middletown, Pelham Bay. It is a miracle that nobody died according to the NY Daily News

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pedestrian accident locationA pedestrian was fatally struck by car in NYC last night . According to the NY Daily News The 53-year-old man was crossing East Tremont Ave at the intersection of Saint Peters Ave when a SUV hit him. The pedestrian died at the scene of the accident. The driver wasn’t charged. The accident occurred at night around 9:30 pm.

East Tremont has been identified by the Vision Zero  initiative as a dangerous corridor. Speeding is frequent and pedestrians crossings are too few on this 4 lane avenue. The DOT presented a plan to redesign Est Tremont Ave to the community Board 9 in April 2016. However this plan covers only a part of East Tremont Avenue and not the area where the pedestrian was fatally struck yesterday night.

Picture of the pedestrian accident location: courtesy of Google

 

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A 96-year-old pedestrian died after a car backing out of a driveway hit her.  Last Tuesday, 96 year Ruth Cohn was talking a walk a block away from the Atria Riverdale senior home where  she lived when the accident occurred. She was struck by a car backing out of a driveway. She was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with legs and pelvic injuries. She died the next day. The driver, a 46 year old woman stayed at the scene of the accident. She wasn’t charged. Read more in the NY Daily News

With baby boomers reaching retirement age, many pedestrians walking in New York City streets are seniors.  They represent 13% of the whole population of New York City however they account for 39% of NYC pedestrian fatalities. According to the DOT, the senior pedestrians fatality rate is 4x that of younger New Yorkers. As part of the Vision Zero Initiative, the DOT is working on various projects to make the streets of New York City safer for the seniors. The complete DOT presentation can be downloaded here

pedestrian fatality NYC by age

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A NYC pedestrian died in a car accident Monday night. 28-year-old Gabriel Garcia was crossing E. 138th Street near Walton Ave in Mott Haven, Bronx, NYC when he was struck by a dark colored sedan with TLC plates. A Toyota Camry struck him right after. According to witnesses both drivers got out of their cars as the pedestrian was lying with his face down on the ground bleeding.  The two drivers then left the scene of the accident. The Toyota driver came back shortly after to talk to the police. The black sedan driver disappeared in the night. The pedestrian was rushed to the hospital but he couldn’t be saved. The police are still looking for the driver of the TLC car.

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A pedestrian died in a truck accident in New York City early Sunday morning. The truck never stopped after he hit the pedestrian and neither did several vehicles who also hit him after he fell on the ground. The truck hit the pedestrian around 2:30 am on Sunday morning as he was walking on the Northbound lane of the Cross Bronx Expressway near Castle Hill Ave.  The pedestrian died at the scene of the accident. The police are still investigating the hit and run.

Truck accidents have been on the rise in New York City over the last few years. Up until the beginning of 2016, the number of accidents in the city was contained below 1,000 a month, usually between 500 and 700 at the most. Over the last year, the monthly number of truck accidents has doubled and sometimes tripled in New York City. According to the most recent statistics from the NYPD, there were 1,571 truck accidents recorded in March 2017, compared to 1,017 in March 2016, 733 in March 2015 and 573 in March 14. Several factors such as the recent economic boom and the increase in the number of consumer goods being ordered through the internet may have contributed to this alarming increase in truck accident in NYC.Truck accidents NYC March 2017

 

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accident sceneA NYC pedestrian suffered critical personal injury after being struck by a motorcyclist who disappeared into the night. The  unidentified middle-aged woman was crossing Bruckner Boulevard at the intersection of Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx, NYC, when she was struck by a motorcycle. She was in the crosswalk. She suffered serious head trauma and was rushed to the emergency room. She is still fighting for her life. The police are still looking for the reckless biker who was riding a red Suzuki sports motorcycle.

Read more in the NY Daily News 

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accident locationA 39 year old old man suffered critical injury after he was hit by car in the Bronx, NYC. The accident occurred Saturday night around 3:00 am on East Tremont Ave near Waterbury Ave. The driver of the car, a 28 year old man, remained at the scene of the accident. He was later taken into custody by the police after he was given a breathalyzer test.

East Tremont Ave between Williamsbridge Road and Bruckner Boulevard is one the most dangerous corridors in New York City. According to the NYC Department of Transportation, hundreds of people were injured in car accidents on this specific segment between 2009 and 2013. Among them, 21 people were severely injured or died. Speeding is a major issue in this wide corridor  with undefined moving and parking lanes. Crosswalks are mostly very long diagonals or are simply lacking, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross safely.

In 2015, as part of  the Vision Zero Initiative, the DOT proposed to the Community Board to re-engineer East Tremont Ave to make it safer (see DOT proposal here). The proposal included a reduction from 4 to 2 traffic lines with a center turn lane as well as the construction of pedestrian islands.  The proposal which didn’t include any bike lanes was turned down by the community board. However after a bicyclist died on this segment last June, the DOT by-passed the community board decision and confirmed it would implement the safety measures. (see more in Streetsblog).