Cy Vance

This report is filed by Streetsblog reader Steve Vaccaro.

A motorist who ran down a retired nurse to allegedly avoid stopping for a red light on the Upper West Side has been indicted for manslaughter.

On Tuesday, 21-year-old Jason King was killed by a truck driver while walking across Madison Avenue in the crosswalk. According to police, the driver overshot his destination, decided to back up, and ran over King in reverse, dragging him 30 feet before coming to a stop. NYPD decided not to charge the driver with anything more serious than a traffic summons.

Traffic safety advocates were heartened last month by news that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance will make good on his campaign promise to devote more resources to investigating acts of vehicular violence. Vance has also pledged to get behind legislation, like Hayley and Diego's law, that would reduce the number of obstacles faced by law enforcement when seeking justice for those who have been injured and killed at the hands of reckless motorists. (We would add the proposed federal "black box" standard to the list of sorely-needed legislative actions.)

During last year's campaign for Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance came out with a broad traffic safety platform, promising to beef up investigations into deaths caused by drivers. Many of those commitments turned into official policy today, as Vance announced a significant expansion of the DA's vehicular crimes unit. Vance also pledged to support state and local legislation to help reduce the threat of dangerous driving on New York City streets.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office is beginning an inquiry into the collision that killed Karen Schmeer last Friday, and expects to review all circumstances leading up the crash, according to a spokesperson. Witnesses cited by the Daily News say cops pursued three men suspected of petty theft at an Upper West Side pharmacy before the getaway driver hit Schmeer at Broadway and 90th Street. The man suspected of driving the car that struck Schmeer has been charged with second degree murder.

At a hearing in criminal court on Monday, Manhattan prosecutors offered a plea deal to Gus Gonzalez, the driver who assaulted cyclist Ray Bengen in the Ninth Avenue bike lane last May.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is looking into last Friday's Upper East Side hit-and-run involving former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir and pedestrian Joanne Valarezo, as well as two recent incidents in which a pedestrian and cyclist were killed.

The police department confirmed this morning that no criminal charges have been filed against the bus driver who struck and killed a woman riding a bike on Delancey Street Tuesday afternoon. (The police have not released the identity of the victim, since the family hasn't been notified yet.)