Sunday was World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, but the entire weekend was a preview of how much remembering we're going to have to do next year.
Hours before politicians such as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Comptroller Brad Lander joined mourners and activists in a march through Queens to remember the last 12 months' worth of victims, the city's streets were so awash in blood that it seems like every day is going to have to be a day of remembrance going forward.
Here's a roundup of the carnage since Friday morning:
- Early on Friday morning, a pedestrian was struck and killed at W. 47th Street and Seventh Avenue. Cops said Robert Sala, 59, was walking eastbound on 47th Street, in the marked crosswalk, when he was struck by the operator of a 2021 Ford pickup truck as he attempted to make a left turn onto Seventh Avenue. The driver remained on the scene and was not charged.
- Very late on Friday, a 44-year-old man on a stand-up scooter "lost control," according to the NYPD and was thrown to the pavement of Givan Avenue near Sexton Place in The Bronx. The victim, Alexander Murillo, died on Sunday, police said. (NYDN)
- On Saturday after sunset, the driver of a Volkswagen struck a motorcycle rider at 29th Street and Broadway causing severe injuries. The driver fled. (The Post covered, with video)
- On Saturday night, two pedestrians — one a 73-year-old man and the other a 71-year-old woman — were struck by two car drivers as they tried to cross Woodhaven Boulevard. The woman, Tonci Budija, was killed and her companion badly injured. Both drivers remained on the scene. (The Daily News covered it.)
- On Sunday, a woman who had gotten out of her car after a crash with another vehicle on the Bruckner Expressway was struck by another vehicle, sending her from the elevated expressway onto Bronx River Avenue below. The driver fled, as Jasmine Hunter, 32, died. The Daily News covered.
The Post rounded up some other carnage in a story. Gothamist covered the World Day of Remembrance event, yet, oddly didn't mention all the crashes we'd be forced to remember at next year's event.
The Adams administration is fond of saying that pedestrian deaths are down this year compared to previous years. And they are. But the blood tide is rising in New York, based on numbers the Department of Transportation sent over before this injury- and death-filled weekend:
Families for Safe Streets member Porscha McLaurin certainly isn't impressed by the drop in pedestrian deaths — a two-year trend. Her son, Jayden, was killed riding his bike in April.
“My son Jayden deserved the chance to grow up. Instead, traffic violence robbed him of his future,” she said. “No parent should have to experience the pain that we, and countless parents across New York City, have felt. On this World Day of Remembrance, we need our leaders to commit to taking action to save lives across New York City. Traffic violence can and must be prevented.”
In other news:
- A construction worker was killed in a horrible fashion — getting his foot caught in the tire of a massive truck that then ran him over. (NYDN and NY Post, with video; Village Sun)
- The Times followed our coverage of the demise of the Revel moped with a deep dive. Meanwhile, Gothamist ran a first-person tribute to Revel from a regular rider (which is a piece we would have liked to have run, except our freelancer missed his deadline ... and he knows who he is).
- Speaking of freelancers, our own Jesse Coburn turned in a great story about New York's inept public clocks. (Hell Gate)
- Global warming — it's not just bad for the air, but for the subway, too. (NY Post)
- In a tangentially related story to our ongoing coverage of the city, the Times's Michael Kimmelman again reminded us that Downtowns are not dead yet! (Crain's took an opposing view.)
- Rep. Jerry Nadler defended congestion pricing — and went after New Jersey — in a Daily News op-ed.
- The AirTrain, which should be free, will become much less so soon. (amNY)
- The Times weighed in on the NYPD's plan to make sure the public can't listen to police scanners, which is a major source of concern for reporters and good government folks.
- Here's an interesting story about how quickly the city sells off cars seized for non-payment of parking tickets. (The Drive)
- Former federal transit man Larry Penner isn't too impressed by Sen. Chuck Schumer's boasts of bringing home the subway bacon. (Mass Transit)
- Gothamist did a deep look at why things like the Interboro Express often don't end up getting built.
- New York City Transit President Richard Davey talks bus speeds in amNY (was he inspired by our "Bus Week" series last week?).
- Finally, it's hard to believe that our own subway- and wrestling-loving Dave Colon didn't think of this first. (NY Times)
