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 car flipped on the Williamsburg Bridge in a three-vehicle crash. Photo: ##http://www.animalnewyork.com/2013/car-flips-over-on-the-williamsburg-bridge/##Animal NY##

Fatal Crashes (1 Killed This Week, 10 This Year; 0 Drivers Charged*)

  • Ridgewood: Puran Thapa, 7, Killed by SUV Driver; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog, Post 1, 2; DNA)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

  • Bushwick: Cyclist Critically Injured By Hit-and-Run Driver (News, Gothamist)
  • Brooklyn Heights: Driver Leaves Pedestrian in Critical Condition After Pinning Him Against Wall (DNA, BHB, NBC)
  • Harlem: Pedestrian Struck, Injured by Driver; NYPD AIS Notified (@NYScanner)
  • Forest Hills: Off-Duty Police Officer Arrested for DWI, Leaving the Scene (TimesLedger)
  • Williamsburg Bridge: Car Flips in Three-Vehicle Crash (Animal NY)
  • Flushing: Driver Hits Pedestrian, Cops Tell Pedestrians to Use Crosswalks (TimesLedger)
  • South Bronx/Brooklyn: Cops Lift Cab Off Pedestrian; SUV Driver Jumps Curb, Hits Woman Waiting at Bus Stop** (Post)
  • Bed-Stuy: Driver Hits Cyclist, Punches Him, Flees; Charged With Assault and Leaving the Scene (Post)
  • Glen Oaks: SUV Driver Hits Pedestrian, 87, Kills His Dog; Driver: “They Came Out of Nowhere” (Post)
  • East Flatbush: Three Drivers Flee Scene After Injuring Allegedly Drunk Pedestrian on Nostrand Avenue (Post)
  • West Farms: School Bus Carrying at Least a Dozen Students Rear-Ended (DNA)
  • Williamsburg: Driver Attempts to Run Down Traffic Agent Who Issued Him a Summons (Post Blotter)
  • Castleton Corners: Drunk Driver With Suspended License Speeds Wrong Way Before Slamming Into Police Cruiser (Post Blotter)
  • Travis: Driver Arrested in Early January for DWI Busted Again (Post Blotter)

Cyclist Julian Valencia was critically injured by a hit-and-run driver at the intersection of Central Avenue and George Street in Bushwick. Photo: ##http://gothamist.com/2013/01/15/cyclist_in_critical_condition_from.php##Gothamist##

In the Region, Out of Town

  • Somerset , NJ: Driver Charged With Vehicular Homicide in Head-On Crash; May Have Been Drinking (NJ.com)
  • Yonkers/New Rochelle, NY: In Separate Incidents, Two Wrong-Way Drivers on Highway Stopped by Police (LoHud)
  • Schroon, NY: West Nyack Driver Sentenced to Up to Four Years for Leaving Scene of Fatal Crash (LoHud)
  • Huntington, NY: LI Drunk Driver Who Crashed Parents’ Car Into Home Sentenced to One-and-Half Years; Lawyer Blames “Hipster Girlfriend” (Post)
  • Cantonment, FL: Dog Kills Man After Hitting Accelerator, Causing Van to Run Him Over (News)

Other News

  • Safety Fixes Near NYC Schools Reduced Kids’ Traffic Injuries By a Third (Streetsblog)
  • Staten Island Campaign Distributing Yard Signs Reminding Drivers to Slow Down (Advance)
  • New York AAA Guy: If Drivers Broke the Law, There’d Be Carnage (Streetsblog)
  • Tennessee Safety Officials Call 1,019 Traffic Fatalities — Up 9 Percent from 2011 — “Unacceptable” (Tennessean)

*Based on latest available reports
**Incident in which a vehicle left the roadway

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