Two recent accidents illustrate the dangers pedestrians in New York City have to deal with on a daily basis. Within a single 24-hour period, two pedestrians were killed in separate New York City bus accidents.
In the first accident, a 22-year-old woman was fatally struck by a Q44 bus while crossing the intersection at Northern Boulevard and Union in Flushing – an intersection known to be extremely dangerous. The woman tragically died at the scene of the accident.
The driver of the bus – which wasn’t in service at the time – apparently was completely unaware that they had hit the victim as they failed to stop following the accident, but was eventually tracked down by the police.
Nine pedestrians have been injured at this intersection from August 2010 to June 2011, according to the Department of Transportation. Records show the last deadly accident involving a pedestrian at this intersection occurred in 2008.
The second pedestrian accident, which occurs less than 24-hours later, involved a 25-year-old man and an M60 bus. The victim was crossing 125th Street at St. Nicholas when he was hit by the bus and dragged for 20 feet, according to witnesses. The victim, who lives in Harlem, was taken to the hospital and died a short while later.
Since these accidents are still being investigated, it has yet to be determined who may be completely at fault. It may be determined that the pedestrians were partially to blame, however, regardless of who is at fault in these particular circumstances, these pedestrian accidents show just how deadly walking the city streets can be in NYC. It is important to be aware of your surrounding and ever-vigilant when walking NYC sidewalks because you can never be sure that motorists are doing the same.
Source: NY Daily News, “Second pedestrian struck and killed by NYC bus in 24-hour period”