Two more pedestrians were killed by drivers in separate incidents on Tuesday, the latest carnage in what has become the most-deadly year of Mayor de Blasio's two terms in office.
In the first incident, police said that a driver making a left turn from Avenue U onto notorious Ocean Parkway at around 11:10 a.m struck two people who were crossing the multi-lane speedway, killing one of the victims, Rahel Guindi, 90. The driver of the Subaru Forester — an SUV — remained at the scene and was not charged, though police said the investigation is ongoing.
The other victim, a 61-year-old, whose name and gender were not released, was taken to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition.
Ocean Parkway is one of the most dangerous places in Brooklyn, thanks to free-for-all intersections that rely on drivers to be patient as they wait for pedestrians to make it across the broad boulevard and also remain alert for oncoming traffic on the many cross streets. Here's what the intersection where Rahel Guindi died looks like:
As a result, so far this year (through Sept. 25) along the four-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway between Fort Hamilton Parkway and the Belt Parkway, there have been 227 reported crashes (roughly one per day), injuring 18 cyclists, 13 pedestrians and 126 motorists. In 2019, the last full year not influenced by Covid travel pattern changes, there were 556 reported crashes along the same strip, injuring 16 cyclists, 18 pedestrians and 129 drivers. Yet the roadway has not been significantly redesigned.
Later in the same day, a Bronx pedestrian was killed by a reckless driver in a massive 2021 Dodge Ram, cops said.
Carina Lopez, 31, had just parked her car at around 9:40 p.m. on the east side of Bronx River Avenue near E. 174th Street and was crossing the street when Robert Johnson, 42, of upstate Mount Vernon slammed into her as he sped northbound on Bronx River Avenue towards the country.
After hitting Lopez, Johnson lost further control of the Ram and slammed into multiple parked (and unoccupied) cars on Bronx River Avenue, cops said. Lopez was taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where she died. Johnson was charged with reckless endangerment and reckless driving, extremely rare, though often easy-to-make, charges.
The two deaths add to a grisly toll in 2021, which remains the bloodiest of Mayor de Blasio's tenure. Through Sept. 27, according to the Department of Transportation, 196 people died on New York City roadways, up from 164 during the same period last year, and up from 193 in the first year of de Blasio's term.
Here is the intersection where Lopez was killed. At just this one intersection so far this year, there have already been 13 crashes, injuring three pedestrians and 12 motorists:
So far this year, there have been 13,183 crashes in the Bronx, roughly 49 per day, injuring 370 cyclists, 873 pedestrians and 4,586 motorists, killing three cyclists, seven pedestrians and 18 drivers, already far more fatalities in all of 2019. Believe it or not, though, the high number of crashes this year is a bit of an improvement from 2019, when there were an average of 63 crashes per day — and the year ended with injuries to 397 cyclists, 1,218 pedestrians and 5,684 drivers.
