The Weekly Carnage

3:44 PM EDT on March 18, 2011

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

Fatal Crashes (18 killed this week, 39 this year, 3 drivers charged*)

Brooklyn: Private Sanitation Truck Kills Pedestrian at Broadway and Myrtle; Police: "No Criminality Suspected" (Streetsblog, WSJ)
Maspeth: Ciban Pilaxi, 22, Crushed by Tractor Trailer in Recycling Warehouse (News)
Maspeth: Motorcyclist Killed After Losing Control of Vehicle on Long Island Expressway (YourNabe)
Bronx: 15 Killed When Casino Tour Bus Driver With Prior Suspensions Crashes on I-95; No Charges, License Suspended Again (Post, Times)
Related: Bus Company Cited With Serious Safety Violations in Past Year (MyFoxNY)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

Midtown: Van Catches Fire, Possibly From Bomb (Gothamist)
Park Slope: Driver Speeding on 5th Avenue Slams Into Police Cruiser, Injuring 2 (Brooklyn Paper)
Upper East Side: Driver Cuts Off Other Driver Then Hits Victim's Car, Head With Metal Pipe (Post Blotter)
Queens: Motorist Refuses to Pay for Repairs, Slashes Tow-Truck Driver (Post Blotter)

A driver speeding on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope slammed into a police cruiser, injuring 2. Photo: ##http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/03/15/eyes-on-the-street-nypd-cruiser-rammed-in-park-slope/##Streetsblog reader Joanna Oltman Smith##

In the Region, Out of Town

East Brunswick, NJ: Tour Bus Driver, Passenger Killed, Dozens Injured in Crash on NJ Turnpike (YourNabe, News)
Wantagh Parkway, LI: Brooklyn Teenage Driver Arrested After Police Chase Ends in Crash (MyFoxNY)
Cincinnati: NYC Woman Killed in Taxi Hit by SUV Driver During Police Chase (WSJ)
Chestnut Ridge, NY: 1 Killed, 4 Injured After Crashing Car Into a Tree (LoHud)
NJ Turnpike: Bolt Bus Driver Charged With DWI, Speeding After Passenger Calls 9-1-1 (MyFoxNY)
Blairstown Township: Driver Charged With Leaving the Scene After Vehicle Flipped on Route 94 (Warren Reporter)
Former Buffalo Sabres Player Rick Martin Killed in Crash in Akron, NY (Times)
LSD Icon Owsley 'Bear' Stanley Killed in Car Crash in Australia (News)
Branchburg Township: Motorcyclist Injured When He "Failed to Negotiate a Turn" (Messenger-Gazette)
UK Ice Hockey Star Sentenced to Six Years for Killing 76-Year-Old in Drunk Driving/Texting Crash (FoxSports)
Islip, NY: Woman Arrested for Driving While Intoxicated With 4-Month-Old Son (CBS Local)
Norwalk, CT: Manhattan Man Drives Drunk, Crashes Into 3 Parked Cars and a Light Pole (Stamford Advocate)

NYC Street Memorial Project's 6th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk. Photo:##http://gudphoto.com/bikenyc/2011/03/14/ghost-bike-memorial-ride-2011/##Dmitry Gudkov##

Following Up

Street Safety Advocates Mark Another Year of Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities (Gothamist)
Queens Couple Almost Killed by Drag Racers on Belt Parkway Still Looking for Culprits (News)

Other News

SI Advance Acknowledges Red Light Cameras May Have Safety Benefits; Lists Locations (Advance)
One-Day NYPD Crackdown on Drivers Using Cell Phones Yields Over 6,200 Tickets (NY1)

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