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

Horrific Crash in Queens as Truck Driver Runs Red Light and Injures Pedestrian

The intersection of Broadway and Baxter Street in Elmhurst. Photo: Google

A pedestrian was injured, perhaps severely, at a notoriously dangerous Queens intersection by a milk truck driver who ran a red light — the latest victim in a year that has created more victims than any previous year in the de Blasio administration's two terms.

Horrific video of the incident, initially posted to Reddit, but later disseminated on Twitter, showed the driver of a Creamoland truck on Broadway in Elmhurst blow through a red light at the intersection of Baxter Street at around 7:10 p.m. on Thursday. The light had been red for at least two full seconds when the truck driver entered the intersection without slowing down, the video from another driver's dash cam shows.

https://twitter.com/USPSInBikeLanes/status/1449010294777384962?s=20

Once on the western side of the intersection, the truck slams into the pedestrian, a crash that only the driver of the car with the dash cam video seemed to notice.

"Oh! Oh my god," he screams on the video as other pedestrians go about their business.

The NYPD could not provide preliminary information on the condition of the victim or whether police arrested the driver. The crash was directly in front of Elmhurst Hospital.

The crash comes during a particularly deadly year on New York streets. Through Oct. 14, 209 people have died in crashes, the most ever through this point of the year under Mayor de Blasio.

Chart: DOT
Chart: DOT
Chart: DOT

The intersection of Broadway and Baxter Street is a dangerous one. Since January, 2019, there have been 21 reported crashes in that one spot, injuring one cyclist, five pedestrians and four motorists, according to city stats.

But the roadways surrounding the hospital — which was a crucial facility during the Covid-19 pandemic — are exceptionally brutal for vulnerable road users. Since January, 2019, on just the 20-block stretch of Broadway between Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, there have been 404 reported crashes, injuring 25 cyclists, 47 pedestrians and  49 motorists.

In Elmhurst itself, a roughly one-square-mile zone around the hospital, there have been 3,431 reported crashes since January, 2019, injuring 181 cyclists, 282 pedestrians and 600 motorists. That's an average of more than three crashes every day in one tiny little neighborhood.

After initial publication of this story, the NYPD sent over additional information (after first thanking Streetsblog for sharing the video):

"The pedestrian was removed to [Elmhurst Hospital] conscious and alert prior to the arrival of police," said Det. Sophia Mason. "No arrest or summonses have been issued and the investigation is ongoing. Thank you for the link. I have passed it along this to 110 Precinct Detectives."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Parking? Lots! Outdoor Dining Structures Are Coming Down Across the City

Another wave of New York City's beloved roadside dining structures is making way for parked cars after a key city deadline passed on Friday.

November 4, 2024

HOUSING CRISIS: Council Pushes Mayor to Create ‘City Of Yes … And’

The speaker of the City Council is demanding that Mayor Adams's signature housing initiative create more affordable units — but it's unclear if she backs the key proposal that undergirds the plan: ending mandatory parking.

November 4, 2024

Monday’s Headlines: Another Fatal Flight from Police Edition

Another cyclist has been killed by another driver fleeing police. Plus other news (including a hilarious SNL sketch about Assembly Member Harvey Epstein).

November 4, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Hotoween Edition

The unseasonably warm weather reminds us that it's foolish that the city turned outdoor dining into an April to November thing. Plus other news.

November 1, 2024

FDNY Truck Driver Fatally Strikes Bronx Delivery Worker — 22nd Cyclist Killed this Year

A cyclist was killed by an FDNY truck responding to an emergency in Park Slope.

October 31, 2024
See all posts