The Weekly Carnage

by Brad Aaron on October 16, 2009

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

alg_henry_hudson_car_accident.jpgPhoto: Daily News
Fatal Crashes (9 Killed This Week, 210 This Year*, 22 Drivers Charged**)
  • Manhattan: 11-Year-Old Dies When Drunk Mom Flips Car on Henry Hudson (News 1, 2, NYT 1, 2)
  • Related: Driver Carmen Huertas on Suicide Watch; Vic's Father Says Death Is Too Good (News)
  • Brooklyn: Drunk Driver Blows Red Light, Kills Chernobyl Survivor; Charged With Homicide (News, NYT)
  • Staten Island: Motorist Dies After Slamming Into Parked Backhoe (Advance)
  • Bethpage, LI: 1 Dead, 1 Hurt in Two-Car Crash; Police Look for Third Driver (Newsday)
  • Danbury, CT: Passenger Killed in DWI Crash; More Charges Expected for Driver (CT Post)
  • Raritan, NJ: Pedestrian Hit Attempting to Cross Suburban "Highway" (Hunterdon CD)
  • Fairfield, NJ: Pedestrian Hit by Truck Driver (NJLN)
  • Washington, NJ: Woman Killed After Driving Into Tree (NJLN)
  • Kingwood, NJ: Motorcyclist Riding With Friends Hits Guardrail (Hunterdon CD)

alg_news_fisherman_dive.jpgPhoto: Daily News
Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage
  • Gothamist Newsmap: 8 Peds Struck in Last 7 Days, Including TEA (Gothamist 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  • Brooklyn: Mom Loses Control of Car While Parking, Plunges Into Sheepshead Bay (News, Advance) 
  • Manhattan: Pedestrian Pinned Under Bus Prompts Post Lecture on "Jaywalking"
  • Manhattan: Driver Rolls Car on Inwood Street (Jewyorican)
  • Brooklyn: Bus Hits 6 Cars, Injuring 12; Driver Cites Stuck Accelerator (News)
  • Staten Island: SIE Crash Injures 1, Inconveniences Others (Advance)
  • Spring Valley, NY: Woman Hit, Seriously Hurt by Driver in Supermarket Parking Lot (LoHud)
  • Mount Pleasant, NY: Man Stopped for Doing 120 on Taconic Parkway (AP)
  • Hempstead, LI: Drunk Hit-and-Run Suspect Caught Changing Flat Tire (Newsday)
  • Hempstead, LI: Driver in DWI Bust Wanted for Murder in California (AP)
  • 10 DWI Arrests in Westchester, Putnam Counties Last Weekend (LoHud)
  • Greenport, LI: Cyclist Hit by Stop-Sign-Running Driver Airlifted to Hospital (Newsday)
  • Middle Island, LI: Drunk Driver Plows Into Outdoor Bar Patio, Seriously Injuring 2 (Newsday)
  • Suffolk Co.: Recidivist on Probation for Fatal Crash Caught Driving Without License (Newsday)
  • Nesconset, LI: Crash Leaves 2 Vehicles Overturned, Injures 3 (Newsday)
  • Newark: Suspects Fleeing Police Hit Second Cruiser (S-L)
  • Jersey City: Car-School Bus Collision Puts 10 in Hospital (Jersey Jrnl)
  • Elizabeth, NJ: Unlicensed Minivan Driver Hits Baby Stroller, Slams Into Store (S-L)
  • New Milford, CT: Road Worker Hit, Injured; Driver Flees Scene (CT Post)

Following Up

Out of Town

  • Ballston Spa, NY: Former Rep. John Sweeney Loses License for Refusing Sobriety Test (AP)
  • Pomfret, NY: Rental Truck Driver Tries to Skirt Train Crossing Gate; 3 Dead (AP)
  • Port St. Lucie, FL: Queens Woman Nabbed in 110-MPH Chase With Daughter in Van (News)
  • Tampa, FL: Mother, 2 Kids Hit Crossing Street (AP)
  • San Francisco: Cyclist Snaps, Posts Photo of Hit-and-Run Driver Plate (jwz)
  • Redwood City, CA: Dump Truck Driver Kills Cyclist; Claims No Knowledge of Crash (Sblog SF)
  • Springdale, AR: 22-Month-Old Killed by 12-Year-Old Brother Attempting to Move Minivan (AP)
  • Bismarck, ND: Truck Carrying ICBM Parts Crashes When Driver Distracted by Bug (AP)
  • Washington, DC: Emerging U.S. Soccer Star Charlie Davies Injured in Fatal Crash (News)
  • Pittsburgh, PA: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks Uninjured in Film Shoot Collision (Entertainment Daily)

Trends

  • New York, San Francisco Columnists Wage Anti-Pedestrian Offensive (Streetsblog NYC, SF)
  • For Some Idea of What Walking Is Like, "New York" Post Editors Should Watch This Streetfilm
  • Assembly Member Wants to Calm Broadway-Amsterdam "Bowtie" (Gothamist)
  • Gov. Paterson Lobbied for Street Safety Improvements (LIBN)
  • Paterson Seeks Penalties for Truckers Who Drive Where They Shouldn't (AP)
  • New Jersey Ped Fatalities Up 33 Percent; Advos Petition Corzine for Complete Streets (S-L, APP)
  • NJ State Troopers Will Target Tailgaters -- for Two Weeks (AP)
  • Why Is Traffic Enforcement Often Limited to "Special Occasions"? (Tulsa Examiner)
  • Study: Vigorous Ticketing Has Reduced Distracted Driving in D.C. (WaPo)

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports