The Weekly Carnage

12:03 PM EDT on July 10, 2009

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Fatal Crashes (9 Killed This Week, 52 Killed This Year*, 7 Drivers Charged**)

Queens: Pedestrian Left Unidentifiable in Flushing Hit-Run (Post, News)
Newark: Pregnant Woman Dies in One-Car Crash (NJ.com)
Linden, NJ: 19-Year-Old Killed in Collision With NJ Transit Bus (NJ.com)
Danbury, CT: Two-Year-Old Run Down by SUV in Driveway (LoHud)
Stamford: Man Charged With Manslaughter in Pedestrian Death (CT Post)
Related: Driver Had History of Driving Drunk (CT Post)
Ramapo, NY: Tractor-Trailer Plunges From Overpass, Killing Driver (LoHud)
Brentwood, LI: Teen Dies, Brother Injured When Car Hits Tree, Parked Car (Newsday)
Centereach, LI: Man Fatally Shoots Himself After Hitting Two Cars (Newsday)
Mahopac Falls, NY: Nine Months After Falling Off Truck, Firefighter Dies From Injuries (LoHud)

Photo: Gothamist

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

Manhattan: Off-Duty NYPD Officer Charged in June DWI Ped Collision (News 1, 2)
Related: According to Paul Browne, NYPD an Open Book on Traffic Crashes (Streetsblog)
Manhattan: Cabbie Injures 4 Peds, Blames Phantom Truck; No Charges (News, Post)
Staten Island: Rollerblader Critical After Hylan Blvd. Collision With Truck (SI Advance 1, 2)
Staten Island: NYPD-Involved Crash on Hylan (SI Advance)
Staten Island: Peds, Cyclists, Drivers Dodge Unlicensed Teen in Police Chase (SI Advance)
Queens: Pedestrian Arrested in NYPD Altercation; Drunk Driver Charged After Assault (Post)
Newark: Off-Duty Cop Critical Following Motorcycle Crash (NJ.com)
Hoboken: Light Rail Train Hits Garbage Truck When Driver Runs Light (NJ.com)
Jersey City: Man on Two-Day Coke Binge Hits Parked Car, Utility Pole, House (NJ.com)
Bridgeport, CT: Two NY Men Arrested After 100 MPH Police Chase (CT Post)
Shelton, CT: Officer Responding to Mugging Flips Cruiser (CT Post)
Rockland County, NY: Three Moms Arrested for Driving Drunk With Kids in Car (LoHud)
Linden, NJ: Two Alcohol-Involved Crashes in Five Days at Same Intersection (NJ.com)
Bound Brook, NJ: Rescue Squad Volunteer Ticketed for Actions at Crash Site (NJ.com)
Peekskill: Pedestrian Hit While Crossing Street in Critical Condition (LoHud)
Mt. Vernon: Council Candidate Sees Political Conspiracy in Fraudulent License Arrest (LoHud)
Yorktown, NY: Man Arrested for Slamming Woman's Head Against Car (LoHud)
Mamaroneck: State Trooper Hurt in Two-Car Collision (LoHud)
Bay Shore, LI: Driver, 18, Arrested After DWI Crash Sends Second Driver, 19, to Hospital (Newsday)
Lake Grove, LI: Driver Hospitalized, Arrested After Crashing Into House (Newsday)
Suffolk Co.: Two Motorcyclists Injured in Separate Crashes (Newsday)
Pelham Manor, NY: Motorcyclist Critical After Rear-Ending Car (LoHud)

Following Up

Greenwich, CT: Bereaved Families Frustrated With Lenient DWI Sentences (CT Post)
Milford, CT: Questions Surround Police-Involved Crash That Killed Two (CT Post)
Pearl River, NY: Family, Friends of Hit-Run Victim Raise $16K for Case (LoHud)
Brewster, NY: Anti-Immigrant Rage Dominates Anniversary of Mother-Daughter Ped Deaths (LoHud)
Port Washington, LI: Woman Gets 2-6 Years for Killing Friend in DWI Wreck (Newsday)
Enfield, CT: Passenger Charged in Fatal Missing-Driver Crash (Newsday)
Stratford, CT: Controversy Erupts Over Crash Caused by Officer's Seizure (CT Post)

Out of Town

Jamesville, NY: Off-Duty State Trooper Killed Riding Bike (Newsday)
Catskill, NY: Man Trying to Help at Crash Site Falls to His Death (LoHud)
Virginia Beach: Former Buffalo Bill Bruce Smith Convicted of DWI (AP)
Camden, NJ: Campbell's Soup CEO Hurt in Jersey Turnpike Wreck (AP, NJ.com)
Canton Twp, MI: Five Die When Driver Tries to Beat Amtrak Train (AP)
Mendocino Co., CA: Woman Hits Caltrans Worker, Says He Should Have Moved (S'blog SF)
Bellevue, WA: Crash Ends With Knife in Car's Bumper (KCPQ)
El Segundo, CA: "Three's Company" Actress Joyce DeWitt Arrested for DUI (AP)
Toronto: Poison Band Members Uninjured in Tour Bus Collision (LA Times)
Milford, MI: Man Convicted in Billy Martin Crash Dies of Cancer (NYT)

Trends

Bronx Prosecutor Joseph A. McCormack Talks Traffic Justice (Streetsblog)
New Jersey: Pedestrian Death Spike Blamed on Everything But Drivers (AP)
New Jersey: MADD, Officials Peeved Over Turnpike-Themed Beer (AP)
Bethel, CT: Woman Campaigns for Motorcycle Helmet Law (CT Post)
California Supreme Court Opens Door to Breathalyzer Challenges (AP)
Hybrid Cars May Be Made Louder to Alert Peds to Their Presence (Green Inc.)
Star of Future Carnage Headlines: The New Chevrolet Camaro (NYT)

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports

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.

Stay in touch

More from Streetsblog New York City

Congestion Pricing

Stockholm Leader’s Message to NYC: ‘Congestion Pricing Just Works’

"In Stockholm, people really thought that congestion pricing would be the end of the world, the city will come to a standstill, no one would be able to get to work anymore and all the theaters and shops would just go bankrupt. None of that happened."