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.

Fatal Crashes (2 Killed This Week, 60 This Year, 9 Drivers Charged*)

• Washington Heights: Unnamed Pedestrian Killed in Broadway Hit-and-Run; Driver Charged With DWI, Manslaughter (City Room, News)
• Huguenot: Driver, 20, Dies After Hitting Parked Tractor-Trailer (Advance)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Prospect Heights: Driver Nearly Runs Down Ped, Then Threatens Him With Scissors (Bklyn Paper)
• Coney Island: Car Thief Crashes Into Fence After Cops Chase Him 15 Blocks (Post Blotter)
• SI: Man Pulled Over Near Verrazano for Driving Without a Tire, Charged With DWI (Post Blotter)
• SI: 4 Others Arrested for DWI, 1 in Crash (Advance 1, 2)
• Astoria: Drunk Driver Crashes Car Into Barrier (YourNabe)
• Low-Floor Buses Blamed for Spike in Rider Injuries (Post)

Following Up

• Accused DWI Killer Carmen Huertas Asks Judge to Go Easy on Her (News, Post)
• Service Held for Off-Duty Cop Behind the Wheel in Bronx River Parkway Crash (News)
• WPIX Reporter Vince DeMentri Fired Following Parking Spot Assault (Gothamist)
• Brooklyn Construction Worker Hit by Verizon Van Awarded $40 Million (News, Post)

In the Region, Out of Town

• Long Beach, LI: Police in SUV Run Over Sunbather; Sand a Suspected Factor (Post 1, 2)
• Wheatland: Teen Breath-Holding Contest Ends in Crash (WINS)
• Islandia: Firefighter Coming to Colleague’s Aid at Softball Game Hit Trying to Get Medical Bag (WINS)
• Batavia: Porn-Watching Truck Driver Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in ’09 Collision (AP)
• Bedford Hills: Wife of RFK Jr. Arrested for Drunk Driving (AP)
• New Haven, CT: Van Carrying Bill Clinton Rear-Ended (AP)
• Ft. Lee, NJ: Motorcyclist Killed Near George Washington Bridge Was Fleeing Police (WINS)
• Tempe, AZ: Student Native to NJ Dragged to Her Death for Her Purse (AP)
• San Antonio, TX: Alert Bus Driver Avoids Toddler Sitting in Street (Hard Drive)
• Bagley, MN: Woman Gives Birth While Driving, Is Feted by Chevrolet (Wheels)
• Toronto: Charges Dropped Against Former Official in Fatal Cyclist Dragging (CBC)
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Former Yankee Jim Leyritz Settles Suit From ’07 Fatal DWI Crash (Gothamist)
• Bantam, CT: Alcohol Ed Class Clears Rip Torn of DWI Charge (AP)

Other News

• Manhattan DA Cy Vance to Expand Vehicular Crimes Unit (Streetsblog, AP)
• Over 100 Injured or Killed at Delancey and Essex Since 1998; Post Finds the Funny
• Speed Enforcement Up on Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway (WINS)
• Staged Crashes Jumped by Almost 50 Percent From ’07-’09 (Wheels)
• IIHS Says “Low-Speed Vehicles” Don’t Belong on Public Roads (Wheels)
• Study Finds Every Hour of Driving Shortens Life Expectancy by 20 Minutes (CP)
• Times “Debate” Blog Asks the Experts: Is 37,000 Annual Traffic Deaths Too Many?

* Fatalities within the five boroughs. Information based on latest available reports.