Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Relatives of Senior Killed by Staten Island Driver Not Satisfied With NYPD Victim-Blaming

Jewett Avenue at Coale Avenue. Photo: Google Maps

A motorist fatally struck 68-year-old Margherita "Rita" Palumbo in the Staten Island neighborhood of Westerleigh last week. NYPD filed no charges and put responsibility on the victim. But available information suggests the victim may have had the right of way, and Palumbo's family is seeking more details on the driver's actions before the collision.

At approximately 7 a.m. on November 1, a 52-year-old man traveling southbound on Jewett Avenue hit Palumbo with a Toyota pickup truck.

From the Advance:

As the Toyota was approaching Coale Avenue, the vehicle struck Palumbo as she was attempting to cross from the east side of the street mid-block on Jewett, police said.

The driver, whose identity was withheld, was not charged or ticketed. NYPD's phrasing gives the impression that the victim was jaywalking, though that may not have been the case.

Coale meets Jewett at a T intersection with unmarked crosswalks, the type of crossing where state law requires motorists to yield to pedestrians.

Palumbo, a native of Naples who was picking up an Italian-language newspaper when she was struck, sustained “catastrophic” injuries to her head and body, the Advance reported. She died at Richmond University Medical Center hours after the crash.

While Vision Zero-era NYPD typically discloses cherry-picked details, often proven incorrect, that shift blame to people killed by drivers, police practically never mention driver speed.

The Advance says Palumbo’s loved ones “want police to investigate” the role of the driver's speed in the crash. "If he was speeding, we just want to know," said Anna Palermo, Palumbo's sister.

"The family has been told that she was captured on surveillance video running across the street," the Advance reported, "which they regard as better than moving slowly." However, if Palumbo ran into the driver's path, and he wasn't speeding, under the law she might not have had the right of way.

NYPD should release the video it obtained as soon as possible to resolve the legal ambiguity. But as a rule, NYPD shields crash information from the public, and even victims’ families.

Margherita Palumbo was killed in the 120th Precinct, where officers have ticketed 842 speeding drivers in 2017, and in the City Council district represented by safe streets truther Steve Matteo.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Christmas Sockings: Carl Heastie and Andrea Stewart-Cousins Say ‘No’ to Better Transit

The transit world is reeling this week after the two legislative leaders put a block on the MTA's capital plan.

December 26, 2024

Streetsies 2024: Vote For This Year’s Biggest Failures

Overall, it was a pretty sad year. But what was the city and state's worst failures? You get to vote!

December 26, 2024

Streetsies 2024: Vote for this Year’s Best Livable Streets Projects

This year had some bright spots for livable streets projects. Here are the ones that stood out.

December 26, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Christmukkah Edition

We took yesterday off to celebrate the many holidays and to see the new Bob Dylan movie. But there was lots of news.

December 26, 2024

On Christmas, Let’s Consider the Successes of the Livable Streets Movement

Here's a short, heartwarming film about the successes experienced this year by the livable streets movement.

December 25, 2024
See all posts