A Brooklyn senior was fatally struck by a truck driver who initially yielded the right of way before growing impatient and killing her — the latest death in a year that is experiencing a 26-percent rise in pedestrian fatalities.
According to police, 83-year-old Carolyn Cox was crossing Bond Street near Butler Street at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday when she was struck by the driver of a garbage truck that was turning onto Bond Street where westbound Butler Street dead-ends.
A video of the incident posted on Citizen revealed that the truck driver, who worked for the private sanitation company D&A, stopped to allow Cox to pass in front of his cab. But before she could make it to the other sidewalk, the driver, whose name was not released by police, started moving forward, crushing her between his truck and a row of parked cars.
Cops say the driver kept going, but eventually stopped his vehicle at Third Avenue and Bergen Street, a few blocks away. It is unclear why. The driver was not charged, but a police spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.
Neighbors said they were devastated at the news.
"She was a very nice lady," said one area resident who would give only the name Miss Evans. "She would always greet everyone and would come out to get her food across the street. I am still in disbelief that she's gone."
Cox's death is just the latest in an ongoing pedestrian death and injury crisis. Between Jan. 1 and June 25, 58 pedestrians were killed, an increase of 26 percent from the 46 over the same period last year.
And pedestrian injuries were up 3.7 percent during the same period, according to the NYPD.
Cox's death — the sixth under the wheels of a dump truck this year — came just hours before a hit-and-run delivery truck driver struck two sisters in front of a school on 47th Avenue in Queens, killing a 16-year-old girl and gravely injuring her sister on the last day of the school year. The teenager was the 10th child fatality in Queens in 18 months, according to Transportation Alternatives.
D&A Contracting, which is based in Parsippany, New Jersey, has a checkered safety record with the Business Integrity Commission shows that D&A has been slapped with 87 violations since 2016 for records-keeping issues as well as several safety violations and for failing to disclose the names of its drivers, according to city records.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
The company's poor record reminded one area resident to always stay alert.
"It’s a shame what happened," said Gloria Ortiz, who has lived in the area for 50 years. "This just reminds us how alert we have to be while crossing the street because you never know when it's your last day."
