The Weekly Carnage

2:05 PM EST on January 8, 2010

Editors' note: We're trying something new with The Weekly Carnage. Though we will continue to gather news from around the region and beyond, beginning this week the column will reflect a tighter focus on crashes and other incidents within the five boroughs. Let us know what you think of the new format.

Fatal Crashes (7 Killed This Week, 7 This Year, 1 Driver Charged*)

New Brighton, SI: Pedestrian Arthur Katz, 49, Killed by Ambulette Driver; "No Criminality Suspected" (Advance 1, 2, 3)
Manhattan: Unidentified Pedestrian, 77, Hit and Killed in Midtown; Truck Driver Keeps Going; No Charges (Post)
Lower East Side, Manhattan: School Bus Driver Runs Down Unidentified Cyclist; No Charges (Streetsblog 1, 2, 3)
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn: Livery Driver Kills Unidentified Pedestrian, 50; Charged With DWI, Manslaughter (News, Post)
Midwood, Brooklyn: Pedestrian Rosemary Pratt Killed by Forklift Operator; Cops Issue Summonses for Equipment Violations (YourNabe, WABC, News)
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn: Pedestrian Mary Mason, 59, Hit by Truck Driver; Driver Keeps Going; No Known Charges (News, Post 1, 2)
Related: Village Voice Blogger Tony Ortega Brings Levity to This Week's Suffering and Death
Graniteville, SI: Toddler Gina Marie Fantauzzi Dies in Three-Vehicle Collision on MLK Parkway; Investigation Ongoing (Advance 1, 2)
Bronx: Crash on Bruckner Expressway Service Road Claims 12-Year-Old Girl; 15-Year-Old Suspected to Have Been Behind the Wheel (City Room, Post, YourNabe)**

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

Gothamist Newsmap: 3 Unidentified Pedestrians, Including 1 Cop, Struck Since Jan. 4 (1, 2, 3)
Annadale, SI: 2 Joggers Hurt, One Critically, by Drugged Driver (Advance 1, 2, Post, News)
Manhattan: 16-Year-Old Hit by Cab Driver in Midtown, in Critical Condition; No Charges (News, Post)
SI: Hit-and-Run Driver Says 73-Year-Old Parking Lot Ped "Came Out of Nowhere" (Advance)
Brighton Beach: Ped Seriously Hurt by Hit-and-Run Bus Driver; Unspecified Summons Issued (WINS)
Red Hook: Driver vs. Storefront Sparks Call for Taming of Van Brunt Street (YourNabe)
Whitestone, Queens: Suspected Terrorist Crashes During FBI Evasion Attempt (News, Post)
Brooklyn: DWI Hit-and-Run Leaves 1 Driver Hurt; Road Rage Crash Ends With Arrests (Post)
Bronx: Driver Injures Cops in Unmarked Car, Causes Fatal Crash Fleeing to Yonkers (Post)
Departmental Attorney Arrested for DWI En Route to Bloomberg Inauguration (Gothamist)
Nine Arrested for DWI on Staten Island Over New Year's Weekend (Advance)
East Village: Former Net Jayson Williams Hits Tree, Charged With DWI (City Room, WINS)
Midland Beach, SI: Driver Flips Mercedes on Capodanno Boulevard (Advance)

Street Memorial Project 2009 tribute. Photo: denali2001/Flickr

Following Up

Safe Street Advos Mark Another Year of Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities (Streetsblog, YourNabe, NY1)
Bronx Cyclist Sues NYPD After Being Hit by Cop Driving Patrol Car (News)
SI: Driver Gets 5-15 Years in 2007 DWI Crash That Killed Pataki Aide (Advance)

In the Region, Out of Town

Clifton, NJ: Empty NJ Transit Train Hits Crashed SUV; Driver Killed (Post)
Bucks County, PA: HS Principal Critically Injures Student Walking to School (Inquirer)
Scarsdale: Westchester Cop Who Injured Colleague Latest of 4 Officers in DWI Crashes (WINS)
Enfield, CT: Mom Charged for Leaving Kids in Cold Car Outside Tanning Salon (AP)
Clintonville, PA: 2 Brooklynites Killed in Crash on Icy Interstate (Post)
Four Dead in Ohio in Wake of Snow Storm: Does Winter Weather Kill, Or Is It Auto-Dependency? (AP)
California First Lady Maria Shriver a Repeat-Offending, SUV-Wielding Menace (Post)

Trends and Other News

New TSTC Report Puts NYC Streets Among Region's Most Deadly for Pedestrians (Streetsblog 1, 2)
Bronx Parents Warn of Dangerous, Illegal Driver Behavior Near Norwood School (NY1)
Residents Across Queens Pan DOT for Unsafe Walking Conditions (Queens Chron 1, 2)
Report: Keeping City Drivers at 20 MPH Curtails Casualties (New Haven SSC)
Vision Zero International Releases January 2010 Mag
Carmakers Want In on Distracted Driver Market (NYT)
Facebook Silent on Group That Encourages Violence Against Cyclists (CommuteOrlando)
Ohio DUI Wall of Shame Lists Just 96 Recidivists (Cincinnati Enq)
"Distracted Driving" Is Webster's 2009 Word of the Year (Active Transportation Alliance)

* Based on latest available reports
** This crash occurred in 2009 and is not reflected in the weekly or yearly fatality count.

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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