Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

No Place Safe For Pedestrians Amid Rash of Sidewalk Crashes

bus_curb_crash.jpg
First responders on the scene of this morning's deadly crash in Chinatown.

A string of curb-jumping, vehicle-on-pedestrian violence has left one person dead and 24 injured since Friday, according to published reports. Streetsblog has a request into NYPD's public information office and Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne to determine if the recent spate of crashes will spur the city to adopt stricter enforcement of traffic laws and sterner prosecution of offenders.

In one crash, an un-licensed driver steered his SUV onto a Midtown sidewalk, hitting 10 pedestrians. The perpetrator, Estabannie Sanchez, was led away in handcuffs. The local CBS News crew spoke to people at the scene:  

"We basically heard a noise behind us and turned around and the jeepwas already on the pavement, on the sidewalk, all wheels," said witnessIan Cairns.

"There was a lady under the front, a guy on the side, two underneath the back wheel," another witness said.

Alsopinned under the vehicle was a little boy, helped by people like ElieteAlvarez, who hurt his neck when the vehicle sent him into a truck.

CBS also reported on two other sidewalk crashes in Manhattan this weekend. In Harlem, a livery cab driver struck a 55-year-old woman and crashed into a bank. And on the Upper East Side, an elderly man mistook the gas for the brake, then drove into seven pedestrians. The only citation mentioned in the report was given to the livery driver, for talking on his cell phone.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn Saturday a 16-year-old driver plowed into a Flatbush sidewalk, leaving a 2-year-old in critical condition and seriously injuring three others. The driver was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

The fifth and most recent curb jump occurred this morning, when a Fung Wah bus, reportedly rear-ended by a dump truck, crashed into a bank, killing one and injuring four.

The coverage on CBS has generally taken the perspective of pedestrians, but in one report the correspondent tries to make sense of the violence with analysis that places more blame on the sun for shining than on drivers for their dangerous actions.

One theory is that because of the warm weather, more people are on the sidewalks, as people drive recklessly.

Photo: Gothamist

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

OPINION: Can Regional Governance Break New York Out of Its Constant State of Transit Emergency?

The New York region needs to fundamentally change the way it governs its transit system, our contributor writes.

December 20, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: ‘So, How Was Your Day?’ Edition

You didn't come here to find out about yesterday's crime news. Instead, here's the livable streets news!

December 20, 2024

Albany Should Use ‘Underutilized’ Transit Fund For LIRR, Metro-North Discounts: Report

An "underutilized" pot of state transportation funds could help lure more New York City residents onto the LIRR and Metro-North, according to a new report.

December 19, 2024

See It: The McGuinness Road Diet Works — But Only Where the City Installed It

The road diet works, exposing the need to extend it all the way.

December 19, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Snow and Tell Edition

The Sanitation Department is even better prepared for winter. Plus other news.

December 19, 2024
See all posts