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

"

New York Now Has Toughest Drunk Driving Law

New York Now Has Toughest Drunk Driving Law: "

NY1

Something crazy happened in Albany this week: The Assembly passed a bill, then the Senate passed their version of the bill, and then Governor David Paterson signed it into law—all in two days! Yesterday New York instituted the nation's toughest drunk driving law, making it a felony to drive intoxicated with a passenger 15 years old or under. The bill, "Leandra's Law,' was named for the 11-year-old New York girl killed in a DWI crash on the West Side Highway last month. At the signing yesterday, Leandra's father Lenny Rosado vowed to take his crusade to Washington and pass the law on the federal level:

From here on, those that think it’s OK to drink and drive - with children in the car or not - will pay the price...This is not going to be where I stop. I'm going to go out there to as many people as I can and educate them about this terrible disease we have out there...and hopefully we can take it all the way up straight to the White House.

Senate President Malcolm Smith told Rosado, "I don’t know how you stand it. I’m not sure, as a father of a 16-year-old, that I could be standing here if I had befallen the challenge that you have… We stand behind you. If you move this to be a national crusade, know that under leader Sampson and myself we stand to move with you.' Leandra died October 11th when an allegedly drunk adult crashed a van full of children, killing her and injuring her six friends. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told reporters, 'It is tragic that it had to take the loss of Leandra Rosado's life in order for this to come to our attention and for action to be taken.'

Both houses also passed the Authorities Reform Bill Wednesday, which is meant to bring increased transparency to the state's authorities, NY1 reports. But there is still no deal to close the state's $3.2 billion budget deficit. A frustrated Paterson said yesterday, 'I don't know how people are walking around here saying we are close to a deal. I don't know people think they are leaving here and I don't know why it is so difficult to understand we have a fiduciary responsibility to the state of New York... and the only way to reduce this deficit are real, recurring cuts.'

"

New York Is Set for Strict Stand on D.W.I. Cases

New York Is Set for Strict Stand on D.W.I. Cases: "An agreement passed by the State Assembly would make driving drunk with a child in the vehicle a felony.




"

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

"

Tougher DWI Penalty On Special Session Agenda

Tougher DWI Penalty On Special Session Agenda: "

Governor Paterson will ask legislators to pass 'Leandra's Law,' which would make driving drunk with a passenger under 16 a felony. Last month, 11-year-old Leandra Rosado was killed when her friend's allegedly drunk mother crashed on the West Side Highway. Governor Paterson's spokeswoman said, 'Gov. Paterson is committed to stricter penalties for drunk drivers with children in the car, which is why he introduced a program bill on this issue on Aug. 13.' The Daily News notes, 'Though Paterson announced the bill in August, no one in the Legislature has even introduced it.'

"