NYC Motorists Injured 1,322 Pedestrians and Cyclists in August, and Killed 15

Twenty-three people died in New York City traffic in August, and 5,358 were injured, according to City Hall’s Vision Zero View crash data map.

City Hall reported 98 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists through August of this year, and 9,700 injured, compared to 92 deaths and 9,157 injuries in the same period in 2015.

Citywide, 13 pedestrians and two cyclists were fatally struck by drivers in August. Among the victims were Delman Maldonado, Israel Turicos, Angel Sagardia, Martin Smith, Dominick Lamboy, Derrick Belton, George Mamales, Michael Schenkman, Gen Zhan, Ralph Fino, and Arline Smeal.

Motorists killed at least three seniors in August: George Mamales, 85; Michael Schenkman, 78; and Arline Smeal, 80.

Across the city, 758 pedestrians and 564 cyclists were reported hurt in collisions with motor vehicles. Per NYPD policy, few of these crashes were investigated by trained officers.

Of 11 fatal crashes on surface streets reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, no motorists were known to have been charged for causing a death. Based on NYPD and media accounts, at least six victims were likely walking or cycling with the right of way when they were struck.

Martin Smith, George Mamales, and Gen Zhan were all hit at intersections by drivers turning left. NYPD applied the city's Right of Way Law in none of those cases.

Arline Smeal was fatally struck in Astoria when an unattended van rolled onto the sidewalk. Michael Schenkman was struck while riding his bike on Northern Boulevard by a motorist traveling at a high rate of speed. NYPD filed no charges and issued no summonses for either crash.

The private garbage truck driver who killed cyclist Derrick Belton in Brooklyn received “multiple summonses,” according to NYPD, but the department’s public information office wouldn’t or couldn’t say what the summonses were for and would not disclose the driver’s name.

The driver who killed Delman Maldonado and Israel Turicos in Brooklyn was charged with leaving the scene of a crash and unlicensed driving, but was not charged for the act of killing two people.

Angel Sagardia and Ralph Fino were killed in Brooklyn and the Bronx, respectively, by drivers who fled the scene and were not immediately caught or identified. In FY 2016 approximately 99 percent of hit-and-run cases in New York City resulted in no arrests.

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.

Eight motor vehicle occupants died in the city in August, according to City Hall, and 4,036 were injured.