The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle violence across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

A taxi driver crashed into a light pole at the corner of the Bowery and East 3rd Street, injuring pedestrians, according to a witness. Photo: ##http://www.boweryboogie.com/2012/12/cab-crashes-into-bowery-light-pole-last-night-injuring-pedestrians/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BoweryBoogieALowerEastSideChronicle+%28Bowery+Boogie%29##Bowery Boogie##

Fatal Crashes (1 Killed This Week, 146 This Year, 12 Drivers Charged*)

  • Dyker Heights: Motorcyclist Hector Rivera, 37, Struck by SUV Driver; “No Criminality” (Advance, Post)
  • Williamsburg: Cyclist Struck in August Died From Injuries; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)***

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

  • East Flatbush: Driver Strikes Pedestrian, Leaving Him Unconscious; “No Criminality” (Post Blotter)
  • Borough Park: Pedestrian, 60, Seriously Injured by Hit-and-Run Driver; AIS Requested (@NYScanner)
  • East Village: Cab Driver Crashes Into Light Pole, Injures Pedestrians (Bowery Boogie)**
  • Parkchester: Man Hit, Critically Injured by Van Driver; AIS Dispatched (DNA, @NYScanner)
  • Unionport: Pedestrian Struck, Seriously Injured on Ellis Avenue (DNA)
  • Forest Hills: Pedestrian Hit, Transported to Hospital in Serious Condition (@NYScanner)
  • East Flatbush: School Bus-Dollar Van Collision Leaves Five Children Injured (DNA)
  • Morrisania: Five Kids Hurt When Driver Rear-Ends School Bus; Eighth Bus Crash Since October (DNA)
  • Great Kills: Collision Leaves Two Pinned in Car (Advance)
  • Charleston: Drunk Driver Charged With DWI After Slamming Into Pole, Refusing Breathalyzer (Advance)

In the Region, Out of Town

  • Boston: City Council Members Honor Deceased Cyclist, Call for Data-Driven Safety Measures (Globe)
  • Philadelphia: Pizza Deliveryman Struck by Hit-and-Run Driver, Left With Brain Damage (News)
  • Englewood, NJ: NJ Transit Bus Driver Falls Asleep, Nearly Drives Off Overpass (NBC NY)
  • Green Brook, NJ: Police Search for Hit-and-Run Driver Who Struck Pedestrian in Crosswalk (NJ.com)
  • Princeton, NJ: Authorities Use “Black Box” Data to Help Convict DWI Killer (Broadsheet Daily)
  • Los Angeles: Driver Charged With Manslaughter for Driving With Pedestrian’s Body on Hood (News)

Following Up

  • Tour Bus Driver Found Not Guilty in Bronx Crash That Killed 15 (News, NYT)
  • Kevin Spellman Verdict Highlights Continued Weakness of Drunk Driving Cases (Streetsblog)
  • SI Motorist Whose DWI Crash Killed Teen Passenger Sentenced to 10 Years (Advance)
  • Driver Who Crashed Stolen Cab in Union Square Tells Jury He Was Drunk, High (Gothamist)
  • Lawyer for Curb-Jumping Manhattan Driver Blames Deceased Victim for “Negligence” (Gothamist)

Other News

  • Citing Baseless AAA Report, Lawsuit Seeks to “Shut Down” Red Light Cameras (Post)
  • Lander: School Rezonings Put Kids at Risk From Fourth Avenue Traffic (Bklyn Spoke)
  • TA Scavengers to Document Harrowing Conditions on Deadly Queens Boulevard (DNA)
  • GGW’s David Alpert: We Don’t Have to Live With Roads That Are Killing Us (WaPo)

*Based on latest available reports
**Incident in which a vehicle left the roadway
***This fatality is reflected in the annual, but not weekly, figure

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