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.

Bronx community organizer and cyclist Megan Charlop, shown here in 1977, died on Crotona Ave after a driver opened a door in her path, causing her to crash into a city bus. According to reports, the driver was issued a summons for “interfering with a bicyclist.” Photo via City Room

Fatal Crashes (3 Killed This Week, 36 This Year, 7 Drivers Charged*)

• Megan Charlop, 57, Killed Riding Her Bicycle in the Bronx (BNN 1, 2; Post, City Room, News)
• Morris Freidman, 60, Killed by Hit-and-Run SUV Driver in Brighton Beach (News, Post)
• Woodhaven: Unidentified Pedestrian, 23, Killed at Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Ave; No Known Charges (Courier)**
• Pelham Bay Park: Off-Duty School Safety Agent Slams Car Into Tree, Killing Passenger; Charged With Homicide, DWI; Passenger Had Sued Driver Over Prior Crash (WABC, News, Gothamist)
• Queens: Driver Dead in February Crash on North Channel Bridge (Courier)**
• Baychester: Driver Dies After Being Shot, Flipping Car (News)***

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• W. Village: Jeep SUV Driver Plows Into Washington Square Arch (Villager)
• Clifton, SI: Driver Hits School Bus, Flees on Foot; 5 Kids Hurt (Advance 1, 2)
• Washington Heights: Speeding Motorcyclist Left Critical in Hit-and-Run (Manhattan Times)
• Fort Greene: Letitia James Walks Into Trailer Hitch of Parked Car, Sues Owner for Injuries (Bklyn Paper)
• Tompkinsville, SI: Drunk Driver With DWI Record Arrested After Near-Miss With NYPD (Post Blotter)
• SI: Four Drivers Reported Arrested for DWI in Two Days (Advance)
• Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Crash Injures 3 (Advance)

Following Up

• Manhattan: Driver Gets 3.5 to 7 Years for 1997 DWI Hit-and-Run Death of Kristen Nemec (News)
• Kings County Hospital Refused to Draw Blood From Killer DWI Cop Andrew Kelly (News)
• Manhattan: NYPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Driving Drunk, Injuring Pedestrian Barry Gintel (Post)
• Bronx: Hearing Held for NYPD Det. Kevin Spellman in DWI Death of Drana Nikac (R’dale Press)
• Brooklyn: Driver, 83, Refuses Plea in Assault of 99-Year-Old Over Parking Spot (News)
• Brooklyn: Woman Files Suit After B6 Driver Runs Over Her Foot (Gothamist)

In the Region, Out of Town

• Harrison, NY: Feds, Toyota Inspecting “Runaway” Prius, Say Driver Did Not Apply Brakes (NYT, AP)
• Related: Skepticism of Sudden Acceleration Claims Mounts (NYT, Gothamist, Car Connection)
• Related: NPR Covers the Debate Over “Black Box” Recorders
• Nassau: Separate Crashes Leave Pedestrian, Driver, Motorcyclist Dead (AP, WINS)
• Brookhaven, LI: Driver Arrested for DWI, Fleeing Scene After Hitting Packed School Bus (AP)

Other News

• Tight-Lipped NYPD Can’t Stop Talking About Cyclist-Ped Collision (AMNY, Post, City Room, News)
• Related: Gale Brewer, Other City Council Mems Want Crash Info Made Public (Streetsblog)
• Vulnerable User Bill Clears Committee in CT State Legislature (MTR)
• New Mexico Bans Automated Enforcement on State Highways and Interstates (KRQE)
• GM Windshield Tech Points Out Street Signs, Pedestrians, Cars, Buildings (Bits)
• The Social-Networking Driver: Ford Hard at Work Developing the Next “Killer App” (Tech Review)
• Freakonomics: Aversion to Laws, Propensity for Aggression Make Men Deadlier Drivers

* Based on latest available reports
** As these crashes occurred prior to last Friday, they are not reflected in the weekly figure.
*** Due to the cause of death, this incident is not reflected in the weekly figure.