A Queens senior citizen was run over and killed by the driver of a school bus this morning as he crossed a roadway with his wife — who watched her husband die right in front of her.
Police said that Bing Nuan Chen, 87, was crossing 67th Drive, from south to north at around 8:37 a.m. when the 56-year-old driver of the school bus hit him as she attempted to make a left from southbound 73rd Place onto 67th Drive in Middle Village.
Chen suffered severe trauma and died at the scene. The bus driver remained at the crash site and was not charged, cops said. Chen's wife was not injured.
Photo: An elderly man was fatally struck by a school bus in Middle Village, Queens on 67 Place & 73 Drive. He was crossing the street. #LloydMitchellPhotography #Queens #MiddleVillage #Photojournalism #Journalism #Breakingnews pic.twitter.com/ySPUrzwoqX
— Lloyd Mitchell (@Lloydphoto) November 6, 2019
There is neither a traffic control signal, such as a traffic light or a stop sign, nor a crosswalk at the intersection.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Streetsblog has reached out to the Department of Education about this crash. In the past, we have reached out to the agency to determine how its bus drivers are vetted, given that many school bus companies have long lists of moving violations on their records. The agency has never responded.
After initial publication of this story, Education Department spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said, "There were no students on board at the time of this tragic incident, and this driver was immediately suspended pending the outcome of a thorough investigation." She did not answer further questions.
The city is in the midst of a horrific year for road violence, with overall deaths up 12 percent so far this year versus last year. Pedestrian deaths are up more than 6 percent.
