Carnage

The Weekly Carnage

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

By Brad Aaron

2:21 PM EST on February 5, 2010

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

Karen Schmeer. Photo: Garret Savage

Fatal Crashes (2 Killed This Week*, 24 This Year, 5 Drivers Charged**)

Pedestrian Karen Schmeer, 39, Killed on Upper West Side by Driver Fleeing Police; 1 Charged With Murder; DA Cy Vance Opens Query Into Crash (Streetsblog 1, 2)
Bayside, Queens: Unidentified Pedestrian, Three Months Pregnant, Killed Jan. 12 on Union Turnpike; No Charges; Former Boss Wants Safer Street (YourNabe)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

Gothamist Newsmap: Unidentified Pedestrian Struck on Ocean Parkway
YourNabe Brooklyn Blotter: Driver Charged With Reckless Endangerment for Buzzing Cop
Brooklyn Heights: FedEx Driver Smashes Into Building, “Clips” Pedestrian (Bklyn Eagle, YourNabe)
Morris Park, Bronx: Thief Takes Idling NYPD SUV for a Spin (News)
Kew Gardens Hills: Cab Driver Caught After Hit and Run (Post [Blotter])
More Post Blotter: Insurance Fire, DWIs in Staten Island, Queens
Brooklyn: 61-Year-Old Charged With DWI After Belt Pkwy Crash (YourNabe)

Following Up

No Charges From DA Vance for Howard Safir Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog, News, City Room)
Killer Gets No More Than Seven Years for 1997 Houston Hit-and-Run, Fleeing Country (Streetsblog)
Six Month Max for Speeding SI Teen Who Ran Light, Killed Man Waiting for Bus (Streetsblog)
Friends, Family and Co-Workers Mourn Fallen Sanitation Worker Frank Justich (News, YourNabe)
NYPD Says It’s Cracking Down on Hylan Blvd. Drivers Following Death of Daniel Kelley (Advance)
NYC and Miami Cyclists Ride in Solidarity Sunday for Slain Christophe Le Canne (Transit Miami)
Laurel, MS: Civil Suit Begins in 2001 Death of Mets Prospect Brian Cole (News)

In the Region, Out of Town

Two Staten Islanders Dead in VA, PA DUI Crashes (Advance)
Cherry Hill, NJ: Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Jersey Turnpike (News)
East Brunswick, NJ: Driver Flips SUV on Turnpike; Post Has a Laugh
Northampton, LI: Driver Runs Stop Sign, Hit by Transit Bus; 1 Dead, Several Hurt (WINS)
Vowing to Reduce Collisions, SFPD Chief Initiates Review of Bike-Ped Policies (Streetsblog SF)
Los Angeles: Man Found Guilty of Murder Two in Rage-Induced Pedestrian Death (LAT)
Lowell, MA: Truck Driver Crashes Into House After Choking on Fast Food (News)
Actor Justin Mentell Killed in One-Vehicle Crash in Wisconsin (AP)
Less Than a Year Later, DWI Killer Donte Stallworth Free to Resume Life as NFL Star (AP)

Other News

Daily News Issues Half-Serious Call for More Life-Saving Traffic Cams (Streetsblog)
Elmhurst Ped Summit: Docs, Not NYPD, Doing the Detective Work on Injury Data (Queens Chron)
TLC Starts Enforcing Zero Tolerance Policy on Distracted Cabbies (Post)
Truckers’ Share of LIE Crashes Has Almost Doubled Since 2002 (WINS)
Feds Investigating Prius Brake Failures (NYT)
Insurers Say “Softer” Car Bumpers Too Expensive to Fix After They Hit People (T’Hugger)
Texting Laws Tough to Enforce in Places Where It’s Legal to Talk and Drive (SJR)

* Deaths reported or discovered this week
** 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.

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