The Weekly Carnage

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.

  • Daphna

    Does anyone know if the police are going to continue their crackdown on drivers in NYC talking on a cell phone or texting while driving? 6,200 tickets given for that dangerous behavior in a single day – the problem is obviously widespread. I am happy the NYPD targeted this dangerous infraction. I hope they will continue the ticketing blitz. They have been able to sustain a useless (in terms of advancing street safety) ticketing blitz against bicyclists for 2.5 months; I hope that enforcing the ban on cell phone use it not just a one-day exercise.

  • LOLcat

    Is anyone else bothered by the coverage of this casino bus accident? What does the drivers criminal record have to do with anything? While it seems likely he feel asleep behind the wheel, what really needs to be asked is was this driver negligence, or do company policies create tired drivers. The press is acting like he intentionally flipped the bus onto the pole! I dislike bad drivers as much as anyone else, but I am starting to feel sorry for this guy. Guilty before any facts are in.

  • 6,200 tickets for driving while talking on a cell phone. Keep that in our hip pocket for the next time someone tells you that drivers obey the rules of the road better than cyclists do.

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