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Carnage

The Weekly Carnage

12:21 PM EDT on March 19, 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.

carnage_charlop_cityroom.jpgBronx 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.

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