NYPD: No Charges for Driver Who Killed Woman on Brooklyn Sidewalk

12:44 PM EDT on July 17, 2015

This driver jumped the curb, hit a wall, two pedestrians, a livery cab and a tree, killing one person and injuring several others. NYPD filed no charges. Image: WABC

NYPD filed no charges against a motorist who cut a swath of destruction through East New York, striking two people on a sidewalk and killing one of the victims.

The driver, in a Toyota Camry, was making a left turn at Pennsylvania Avenue and Cozine Avenue at around 10:30 a.m. on July 1 when she mounted the sidewalk, struck a wall, and hit two pedestrians, according to reports. The driver then hit a livery cab and a street tree before coming to a stop half a block away.

From WCBS:

A witness, named Amir, said a female pedestrian was dragged and pinned under the car.
He and other bystanders tried to help her.
“She wasn’t conscious so we weren’t sure if she was alive, we just saw her legs and knew it was bad,” Amir said. “If you see the jack underneath the car, we actually tried to jack the car up and noticed that we were dragging her as we jacked it up so we stopped.”
“The lady was horrified. She was traumatized and in shock,” another witness said.

Marcia Arthurs, 51, later died from severe trauma to her head and body. The second pedestrian, a 59-year-old man, was hospitalized with lacerations to his face. Four others were reported injured.

"The driver remained at the scene and wasn’t charged," the Daily News reported.

News outlets cited unnamed NYPD sources who said the 29-year-old driver, whose name was not released, "lost control," but none reported the driver's speed. Instead, according to WABC, police exonerated the driver because she didn't commit pre-meditated murder.

It appears she lost control of the car, and authorities do not believe it was intentional.

The crash that killed Marcia Arthurs occurred in the 75th Precinct -- where as of June officers had ticketed 261 drivers for speeding in 2015 -- and in the City Council district represented by Inez Barron.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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