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

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.

schmeer_garretsavage.jpgKaren 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

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

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

New Bill Would Block Apps From Deactivating Workers Without Cause

A Brooklyn Council member wants delivery app companies to be more human and less robot.

July 18, 2025

Friday Video: Is Berlin a Great Biking City?

Have recent moves by anti-bike, pro-car legislators ruined the experience in the capital of a unified Germany? Sort of!

July 18, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Meeker Avenue Bike Lane Is a Failure

The Department of Transportation still hasn't finished a critical bike lane under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the agency has been stalling for over four years even after identifying the strip's danger and lack of proper signals.

July 18, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Cuomo’s Road Rage Edition

Why does Andrew Cuomo drive so recklessly? Plus other news.

July 18, 2025

Fixing Third Ave. Was Once ‘Top of List’ For Eric Adams — But as Mayor He Backed Off

Mayor Adams has delayed a redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue despite once saying safety fixes there should be "at the top of our list."

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Jerry Nadler Edition

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler faced off with Sean Duffy on Capitol Hill. Plus more news.

July 17, 2025
See all posts