The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

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.

Fatal Crashes (21 Killed Since 11/20, 289 This Year*, 26 Drivers Charged**)

• SI: Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Driver With History of Suspensions Kills Elderly Couple (NYT, News, Post)
  


• Bronx: Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Driver Runs Down Woman in Front of Fiance (News, Post, NY1, WABC)


• Related: Illegal Drivers Killing With Impunity; Whither Bloomberg and Kelly? (Streetsblog 1, 2)
  


• Brooklyn: Woman Hit by Turning Bus Driver in Bergen Beach; No Charges (Post, NY1)


• Brooklyn: Two-Car Collision Ends With Pedestrian, 87, Pinned to Light Pole (News, Post)


• Manhattan: Driver Killed in Late-Night Henry Hudson Parkway Crash (Post [7th Item])


• SI: Man Run Over by Dump Truck-Driving Co-Worker at Road Construction Site (Advance 1, 2)
  


• Smithtown, LI: Girl, 11, Killed in Front of Her Mother in Hit-and-Run (WCBS, AP)


• Hauppauge, LI: 1 Killed, 4 Injured in DWI Rollover Crash (Newsday 1, 2)
  


• Huntington, LI: One 19-Year-Old Killed, 1 Injured When Driver Slams Into Parked Truck (AP)


• Central Islip, LI: 2 Charged With DWI After Collision Kills Passenger (Newsday 1, 2)


• Franklin Square, LI: Motorcyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash (AP)


• Ridgefield, CT: Teen Killed When Car Strikes Tree (CT Post)
  


• Shelton, CT: 2 Teens Killed in When Car Strikes Tree (CT Post)


• Oxford, CT: Driver Dies in Head-On Collision (CT Post)
  


• Newark: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian (S-L)
  


• Perth Amboy, NJ: Driver Charged With Homicide After Jumping Curb, Striking Pedestrian (S-L)


• Toms River, NJ: Man Killed Walking on Ped-Heavy Street Known for Hazards (S-L 1,2; WBJ)
  


• Toms River, NJ: 1 Killed in Rear-End Collision (S-L)
  


• Linden, NJ: Man Falls From Horse Trailer on Jersey Turnpike (S-L)
  


• Lebanon, NJ: Motorcyclist Rear-Ends One Car, Hit by Another (S-L 1, 2)

Photo: New York Shitty

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Queens: Another Off-Duty Cop Arrested for DWI (AP) 


• Queens: Several Hurt in Middle Village School Bus Crash; CM Crowley Blames Unsafe Street (News)


• Brooklyn: 2 Seriously Injured in Possible Williamsburg Police Chase (NY1, Post)
  


• Brooklyn: SUV on Sidewalk After Greenpoint Collision (New York Shitty)
  


• Brooklyn: Truck Driver Wedges Rig Under Q Tracks in Midwood (Gothamist)


• Brooklyn: Collision With Ambulance Leaves Car on Flatlands Sidewalk (Post)
  


• Brooklyn: One Hurt in Two-Car Flatlands Crash (Post)
  


• Brooklyn: Cyclist Assaulted by Cop in 2008 Arrested for Damaging Car (Post)


• Corrections Officer Presumed Dead After Fleeing Traffic Stop, Jumping Off GW Bridge (Gothamist)


• SI: Unlicensed Driver Flees Scene After Three-Car Collision (Post [5th Item])
  


• Patchogue, LI: Dad Caught Driving Drunk With 5-Year-Old Daughter in Car (News)


• West Islip, LI: Teen Passenger Seriously Injured When Friend Hits Tree (Newsday)
  


• Linden, NJ: 18-Year-Old Ped Hit, Seriously Hurt; No Charges (S-L)


• Millville, NJ: 18-Year-Old Stuck Under Car for Nine Hours After Crash (News)


• Lebanon, NJ: Texting 18-Year-Old Hits Pole (Hunterdon CD)
  

Following Up

• Carmen Huertas Goes to Court; Victims Raising Money for Her Defense (News 1, 2)


• Related: Post-Leandra's Law, Albany Needs to Protect All Reckless Driving Victims (Streetsblog)


• Upgraded Charges Could Put Det. Kevin Spellman in Jail for 25 Years (City Room)
  


• Manhattan: Assaulted Cyclist Ray Bengen Cleared, But Not His Alleged Assailant (Streetsblog)
  


• East Meadow, LI: Manslaughter, Homicide Charges Added in Case of August DWI Ped Deaths (AP)
  


• Attorney Says Taconic Crash Victim Survived Initial Impact (Newsday)


• New Brunswick, NJ: Despite DOT Assurances, Road Where 15-Year-Old Died Still Ped Deathtrap (S-L)

Tiger's route to infamy. Image: New York Post

Out of Town

• Millville, NJ: 13-Year-Old Girl Hit, Cops Deliver Ticket to Hospital (AP)
  


• Fairfield, AL: 10 Hit Outside Middle School; 9 Kids Injured, Woman Dies (AP)


• Seattle, WA: Pedestrian Gravely Injured by Two Trying to Tow Car With Nylon Rope (Times)


• Port Carbon, PA: Suspected DWI Woman Plows Into Daycare Center Full of Kids (WNEP)


• San Francisco: Family of 4 Killed in Collision; Burglars Plunder Home (AP)
  


• Dinwiddie, VA: Crash Kills Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Driver (AP)


• Ventura, CA: "Pulp Fiction" Writer, DWI Killer Roger Avary Caught Tweeting From Prison (NYT)


• Orlando, FL: Tiger Woods Charged With Careless Driving, Adultery After One-Car Crash (Post 1, 2)
  

Trends

• Philly Media Unload on Cyclists After Ped Deaths; Killer Drivers, Carry On (City Room, P. Weekly)
  


• Orlando, FL Officials Blame Pedestrians for Their Deplorable Mortality Rate (WESH)


• Colorado DOT Develops BAC Estimator for iPhone (Post)


• Beyond DC: Since We're Talking Health Care, What About 40,000 Annual Road Deaths?

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

"

Worst Bridges Ever

Worst Bridges Ever: "

The General Contractors Association already pointed out that our bridges are the worst, earlier this year, and now AAA is rubbing it in with their own list. They say the Tappan Zee, Kosciuszko and Goethals bridges are the worst in the state; with subpar steel, limited sight lines and small lanes amongst the list of hazards. The Post points out that all three bridges are up for reconstruction in the next decade... so we got that going for us.

"

The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

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.

The teen driver of this Saturn rear-ended another car, which lurched into 17-year-old Janine Brawer of Staten Island, pinning her beneath. She died from her injuries. Brawer was one of seven city pedestrians killed in the past week. Of the 10 motorists involved, four fled. No charges were reported against those who remained at the scene, while one of the hit-and-run drivers escaped criminal charges for killing an as-yet unidentified pedestrian in Brooklyn. Photo: Daily News

Fatal Crashes (13 Killed This Week, 268 This Year*, 25 Drivers Charged**)

• SI: Teen's Crash Pushes Car Into Fellow Student; No Charges (Advance, News, Post, WINS)  
  


• Bronx: Hit-and-Run Driver Mows Down 28-Year-Old Woman; CT Man Killed in Separate Crash (News)
  


• Brooklyn: 78-Year-Old Grandmother Killed by Driver on Her Birthday (Post)


• Brooklyn: Hit-and-Run Driver Strikes Ped, Bus; Charged Only With Leaving Scene (Post)
  


• Queens: Pedestrian Hit by Three Drivers; One Flees Scene (NY1)
  


• Queens: Unidentified Ped Death Brings No Charges, Scant Media Coverage (Streetsblog)
  


• Queens: Two-Car Collision Leaves 67-Year-Old Passenger Dead (Qns Courier)
  


• Farmingdale, LI: 14-Year-Old Cyclist Killed; No Charges Filed (Newsday 1, 2, AP)


• Continental Village, LI: Trucker Killed After Oncoming Driver Crosses Center Line (LoHud)


• Stratford, CT: Driver Exits Car After Crash, Killed When Another Driver Plows Into It (AP)


• Sayreville, NJ: Pedestrian, 28, Dies of Injuries From Early Morning Crash; No Charges (S-L)
  


• Montville, NJ: Tractor Trailer-Car Collision Kills 1 (S-L)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Gothamist Newsmap: 4 Unidentified Pedestrians Hit in Last Seven Days (1, 2, 3, 4)
  


• Manhattan: Joe Biden's NYPD Escort Rammed by Livery Cab Driver (HuffPo, NYT)


• Related: Biden Security in Two Other Recent Crashes; 1 Leaves DC Pedestrian Dead (UPI, WaPo)
  


• Manhattan: West Side Crash Backs Traffic Into Jersey, Westchester (Streetsblog, City Room)


• Brooklyn: 9 Hospitalized After Crash Involving 4 Cars, School Bus (AP)


• Brooklyn: Wrong-Way Hit-and-Run Driver Injures 1 in Pulaski Bridge Collision (Post)


• SI: Teen Rams Police Car After Reckless Driving Stop (Advance)


• Larchmont, NY: Pedestrian Hit, Hospitalized With Head Injuries; No Charges (LoHud)


• White Plains: Road Rager Assaults Fellow Motorist After Minor Crash (LoHud)
  


• Brightwaters, LI: 4 Elderly Pedestrians Hit, 2 Seriously Injured; Driver, 73, Didn't See Them (Newsday)


• Bay Shore, LI: Toddler Seriously Injured When Mom Spins Into Another Car (Newsday)


• Wantagh, LI: Crumbling Overpass Drops Debris on Parkway, Causing 10-Car Crash (AP)


• Wyandach, LI: Man With Suspended License Arrested for DWI, Had Kids in Car (AP) 
  


• Bayonne: Driver Critically Injures 77-Year-Old Ped, Ticketed for Failure to Yield (Jersey Jrnl)


• Newtown, CT: 17-Year-Old Driving 4 Other Teens Arrested for DWI After One-Car Crash (CT Post)
  


• Newtown, CT: State Legislator Can't Resist Violating Cell Phone Law (AP) 
  

Following Up

• Manhattan: Truck Driver Auvryn Scarlett Gets 20-to-Life for Killing Tourist Couple (Post, News, TWC)


• Brooklyn: Ped Killer Complains That Vic's Prosecutor Mom Is Taking His Case Too Personally (News)
  


• Bronx: R'dale Press Has Thorough Coverage of Drana Nikac Crash, Profile of Det. Kevin Spellman


• Milford, CT: Police Release Harrowing Video of Cop Crash That Killed 2 Teens (HuffPo/AP)


• Related: Officers Accused of Drag Racing as Department Blames Dead Kids (CT Post 1, 2, 3)


• Suffolk Co.: Driver Ducks Community Service "Sentence" After 2006 Fatal Crash (Newsday)
  


• Carmel, NY: Slap on the Wrist for DWI Mom Who Wrecked Car Full of Terrified Children (LoHud)
  


• Diane Schuler Crash Featured in New York Mag
  


• Roselle Park, NJ: Driver Surrenders in Fatal Hit-and-Run (S-L)

Photo: AP

Out of Town

• Orlando, FL: Noted Boston Cardiologist, Triathlete Killed Taking a Run; No Charges Expected (Globe)


• Medford, NJ: Driver Hits Cyclist While Texting Drug Dealer (AP)
  


• Baker City, OR: Church Van Crash on Icy Road Kills 2, Injures 11 (AP)


• Minneapolis: Tour Bus Driver Suffers Aneurysm; 2 Dead, 21 Injured (AP)
  


• Cleveland, OH: Cellphone-Using Bus Driver Gets Six Months for Fatally Striking Pedestrian (AP)


• Columbus, OH: Driver Fails to Stop for School Buses, Kills Woman on Crutches; No Charges (WCMH)


• Asheville, NC: Death of 4-Year-Old Leads to Call for Pedestrian Improvements (Citizen-Times)
  


• Morganton, NC, Population 17,000, Sees 4 Pedestrians Hit, 1 Fatally, in One Week (News Herald)


• Chattanooga, TN: Man Killed Trying to Aid Injured Pedestrian; No Charges for Either Driver (Times FP)


• McLean, VA: Wife of Sen. Dick Lugar Arrested for DWI, Hit-and-Run After Hitting Parked Car (AP)
  

Trends and Other News

• "Leandra's Law" Clears Albany; City Enforcers Streamline DWI Protocols (Sblog, News, NYT, NY1)
  


• Suburban NY Lawmakers to Introduce 3-Foot Cyclist Buffer Law (LoHud)


• Teen Drivers Killing Themselves, and Others, for the Privilege of TWD (WaPo)
  


• Obama Admin Wants Seatbelts for Long-Distance Buses (AP)


• Tom Vanderbilt Debunks the Myth of the Daredevil "Jaywalker" (Slate)
  


• NHTSA Says Hybrid Drivers Hit More People; Treehugger Has Doubts; Car Blog Finds the Funny


• This Just In: Drivers With Severe Visual Impairment Have Trouble Seeing Pedestrians (PRN, MedPage)


• In Macon, GA, Pedestrians Account for Over Half of 2009 Traffic Deaths (Telegraph) 
  


• Philly Launches Cyclist Crackdown as Drivers Flout the Law With Abandon (Inquirer, I-911)
  


• Letter From Highway Safety Director Makes You Glad You Don't Live in Louisiana (Daily Comet)

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

"

The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

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.

Photo: Star-Ledger

Fatal Crashes (12 Killed This Week, 255 This Year*, 25 Drivers Charged**)

• Brooklyn: Memorial Set for Eliseo Martinez, Cyclist Killed in September (Ghost Bikes)


• Greenburgh, NY: Cycling Advocate Killed by Bus; Driver Back on the Job (LoHud 1, 2)
  


• Bohemia, LI: Man Thrown From Back Seat in Crash, Body Not Found for Hours (Newsday)


• Truck Driver in Last Week's LIE Collision Dies From Injuries (Newsday)
  


• Newark: Unidentified Pedestrian Hit, Killed (S-L)
  


• Roselle Park, NJ: Pedestrian Dies in Hit-and-Run; Police Looking for Killer (S-L)


• Old Bridge, NJ: 14-Year-Old Cyclist Killed by 17-Year-Old Driver (S-L)


• East Amwell, NJ: Man Killed Walking Home From Work; No Charges Expected (Hunterdon CD)


• Montvale, NJ: Minivan Driver Strikes 75-Year-Old Pedestrian (S-L)
  


• East Orange, NJ: 2 Men Attending to Stalled Vehicle Hit by Passing Driver; 1 Dead (S-L)
  


• North Brunswick, NJ: SUV Driver Dies After Colliding With School Bus (S-L)


• Hamilton, NJ: Speeding Driver Killed in One-Car Crash (S-L)


• Bethel, CT: 85-Year-Old Dies After Rear-Ending Pickup (CT Post)

A collision with a livery cab sent a pickup truck into a Clinton Hill mosque. Photo: Robin Urban Smith

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Manhattan: Brake Failure Cited as Concrete Truck Hits Cars, Building; 10 Hurt (Streetsblog, Post)


• Manhattan: City Buses Collide in Midtown; 9 Injured (Gothamist)
  


• Brooklyn: Driver Distracted by Cellphone Crashes Into Truck, Injuring 2 (Post)


• Brooklyn: Unidentified Pedestrian Critically Injured in Ditmas Park (Post)


• Staten Island: One-Car Crash Leaves Minivan on Its Roof (Advance)


• White Plains: Pedestrian Paralyzed From Chest Down; No Charges for Driver (LoHud)
  


• Manorville, LI: 81-Year-Old Driver Seriously Hurt in One-Car Crash (Newsday)


• Nassau Co.: Drunk Driver Clocked at 105 MPH on Meadowbrook Pkwy. (Newsday)


• Carle Place, LI: Man Ticketed for Speeding Harasses Trooper's Mom (Newsday)
  


• Newark: Pedestrian Hit by Dump Truck Driver, in Critical Condition (S-L)


• Newark: Van Driver Is Sixth to Hit Same House in Four Years (S-L)


• Milford, CT: Driver Plows Into Nail Salon, Injuring 8 (CT Post)
  


• Kenilworth, NJ: 6-Year-Old Pedestrian Hospitalized After Collision (NJLN)


• Sayreville, NJ: Seton Hall Basketball Player Charged in DWI Crash (S-L)
  

Following Up

• Institutional Dysfunction Linked to Deadly Behavior at MTA and NYPD (Streetsblog) 


• Related: Raging Bus Driver Who Killed Seth Kahn Ticketed for Failure to Yield (News)


• Related: 170 Bus Drivers Caught Texting-While-Driving This Year (News)


• Related: Unions Cites Shift Structure as Cause of Rampant Drunk Driving by NYPD Detectives (News)


• Albany Reluctant to Protect Kids From Drunk Drivers (Observer, Post, News 1, 2)


• Villager: City Needs Safer Bike Lanes; Legislature Should Pass Leandra's Law


• Smithtown, LI: Cops Looking for Driver Who Ran Over Motorcycle Passenger (Newsday)
  


• Taconic Wrong-Way Tragedy Officially Devolves Into Soap Opera Spectacle (Newsday) 


• Suffolk Co.: Kids of Officer Killed by DWI Driver Receive College Grant (Newsday)


• Milford, CT: Cop in Collision That Killed 2 Teens Charged With Manslaughter (CT Post)

Photo: AP

Out of Town

• Rincon, Puerto Rico: Long Islander Charged With DWI in "Car-Surfing" Death (Newsday)


• Ellenville, NY: Medical Examiner Charged With Driving Drunk to Crash Site (AP)


• Oklahoma City: Elephant Escapes Circus, Hit by SUV (AP)


• La Marque, TX: Man Reaching for Phone Drives $1M Bugatti Into Marsh; Blames Pelican (AP)
  


• San Francisco: Trucker Dies in 200-Foot Plummet From Bay Bridge (AP)


• Miami, FL: Lawrence Taylor Arrested After Hit-and-Run Collision (News)
  

Trends and Other News

• Peds Make Up 1 in 3 NYC Traffic Deaths as State Skimps on Safety (Streetsblog, News, Post, NY1)


• NYCDOT Turns Deaf Ear to Pleas for Safety Improvements on Queens Boulevard (News)


• Staten Island DA Joins Call for Quicker DWI Evidence Collection (Post)


• SIers Left Waiting for City to Replace Stolen Stop Sign (Advance)
  


• Jodie Lane Website Maps Con Ed Sidewalk "Stray Voltage" Hot Spots (Villager, Gothamist)
  


• France: New Radar Detector Broadcasts Speed Enforcement Locations (Wheels)


• When Involved in a Traffic Collision, Whatever You Do, Don't Apologize (LoHud)
  


• Where Are the World's Most Dangerous Roads? (How We Drive)

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

"

General Lee Spotted in Brooklyn

General Lee Spotted in Brooklyn: "

Photo by Neil Epstein/Gothamist

What on earth is the General Lee doing in New York City? The replica of the Dukes of Hazzard car was spotted in Brooklyn over the weekend, and it isn't the first Confederate flag to make it to the borough. Chances are you'll see it around town, those are New York plates! The Brooklyn Eagle ran it to it as well, parked over on Union Street in the Columbia Waterfront District. Let's us know if you see it catching some air.

"

Manhattan Bridge Turns 100!

Manhattan Bridge Turns 100!: "

The 6855-foot-long Manhattan Bridge is turning 100! With a newly reopened archway on the Brooklyn side, it's hardly looking like a centenarian, but the ol' girl's been through a lot, and has a fairly flawed history behind her. The construction for the bridge began in October of 1901, but wasn't open to traffic until December 31, 1909. Once it was put to use, Time Out notes it was realized that designer Leon Moisseiff "didn’t incorporate sufficient support, and placed the subway and streetcar lines on the outer edges of the roadway, putting too much strain on the deck."

While the bridge may sway, it isn't falling down anytime soon. And now that it's at the tail end of a massive reconstruction project, perhaps it's finally time to celebrate it.

This weekend, and through the 11th, you can take part in the celebration through a series of events; including parades, walking and bike tours, and fireworks! Full details can be found here.

"

Cop Cars Banned From Parking On Brooklyn Sidewalk!

Cop Cars Banned From Parking On Brooklyn Sidewalk!: "

'the poor policing in the getto,' via noneck's Flickr

In a radical move, the DOT will begin prohibiting cops from parking on the sidewalk outside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn. Officers at Transit Bureau District 30 have parked on the sidewalk for years, but a new pedestrian plaza set to open next month will mean the end of a longstanding police privilege. Pedestrians and straphangers are rejoicing, with Jameer Henson, a law clerk, telling the Daily News, 'In the mornings it always bottlenecks at the top of the steps because there's only like half a sidewalk for the people coming and going to the subway. I won't be sad to see the cars go.'

But law enforcement officers are upset about the law being enforced! 'It's not a very bright idea,' one transit detective tells the News. 'There's literally nowhere for us to park around here. That's why we're on the sidewalk in the first place.' The new pedestrian mall is temporary, but DOT officials plan to extend the sidewalk and make it a permanent gathering space over the next two years. Also a bad idea, says the detective: 'This street's already too crowded. Cars can barely get by as it is with all the traffic and double-parking going on. Just imagine if you have 50 people sitting in the street.' First pedestrians take over the sidewalk, then the streets—next thing you know they'll be spreading a picnic blanket on Ray Kelly's desk!

"