DOT: 1,382 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 19 Killed in November
Twenty-five people died in New York City traffic in November, and 4,466 were injured, according to DOT’s Vision Zero View crash data map.
As of the end of November, DOT reported 131 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists this year, and 13,705 injured, compared to 146 deaths and 13,563 injuries for the same period in 2014.
Citywide, at least 19 pedestrians were fatally struck by drivers last month. Among the victims were Leila Enukasvili, Mitchel Darroux, Carol Bell, Floria Burton, Agalia Gounaris, Luisa Rosario, Charles Kinyeti, Helen Marszalek, Sofiya Ostrovskaya, John Saldiran, Rukhsana Khan, Yvette Molina, Liana Platika, Bella Markowitz, an unnamed female pedestrian in Manhattan, and three unnamed male pedestrians in Queens.
Motorists killed at least 10 seniors in November: Mitchel Darroux. 72; Carol Bell, 70; Agalia Gounaris, 84; Luisa Rosario, 88; Helen Marszalek, 70; Sofiya Ostrovskaya, 66; Liana Platika, 84; Bella Markowitz, 85; the unnamed female pedestrian in Manhattan, 86; and an unnamed male pedestrian in Queens, 68.
DOT reported no cyclist deaths in November.
Across the city, 1,031 pedestrians and 351 cyclists were reported hurt in collisions with motor vehicles. Per NYPD policy, few of these crashes were investigated by trained officers.
Of 18 fatal crashes on surface streets reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, one motorist was known to have been charged criminally for causing a death: Michael McBean was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene for the crash that killed Yvette Molina, in Brooklyn.
Leila Enukasvili, Carol Bell, and Rukhsana Khan were killed by MTA bus drivers. Enukasvili and Bell were struck in crosswalks by bus drivers making turns, and witnesses said the driver who hit Khan was speeding. The driver who killed Carol Bell was charged with leaving the scene. No charges were reported filed for the crashes that killed Enukasvili and Khan.
The speeding driver who flipped a car on a Brooklyn sidewalk, killing Charles Kinyeti, was charged with unlicensed driving and endangering a child passenger — both misdemeanors — but was not charged for taking Kinyeti’s life.
Floria Burton was pushing a laundry cart in front of a dump truck that was blocking the crosswalk when the driver accelerated into her. Despite the driver’s admission that he drove forward without looking, NYPD and the press blamed Burton. No charges were filed.
Luisa Rosario was killed by a yellow cab driver who had been on the job 16 hours. The driver was charged with a Right of Way Law violation.
Agalia Gounaris, 84, was run over by several drivers, all of whom kept going. No arrests were reported. The driver who hit John Saldiran was charged with misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation, but was not charged for causing a death. Sofiya Ostrovskaya was struck by a hit-and-run driver who was not immediately caught or identified. Liana Platika was killed by the operator of a private garbage truck who left the scene. The driver was not charged.
Historically, nearly half of motorists who kill a New York City pedestrian or cyclist do not receive so much as a citation for careless driving.
Six motor vehicle occupants died in the city in November, according to DOT, and 3,084 were injured.
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