NYC Drivers Injured 1,191 Pedestrians and Cyclists, and Killed 13, in February

Jose Contreras, Elise Lachowyn, Dorothy Heimann, Carol Dauplaise, and Stanley Marshall
Jose Contreras, Elise Lachowyn, Dorothy Heimann, Carol Dauplaise, and Stanley Marshall

Eighteen people died in New York City traffic in February, and 3,770 were injured, according to Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero View crash data map.

As of the end of February, the city reported 26 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists this year, and 2,277 injured, compared to 21 deaths and 1,896 injuries for the same period in 2015.

Citywide, at least 11 pedestrians and two cyclists were fatally struck by drivers last month. Among the victims were Besik Shengelia, Jose Contreras, Stanley Marshall, Elise Lachowyn, Maria Minchala, Alexa Smith, Dorothy Heimann, Gwendolyn Booker, Carol Dauplaise, an unnamed female pedestrian in Brooklyn, an unnamed male pedestrian in Brooklyn, and an unnamed male pedestrian in the Bronx

Motorists killed at least two seniors in February: Dorothy Heimann, 90; and Carol Dauplaise, 77.

Across the city, 1,008 pedestrians and 183 cyclists were reported hurt in collisions with motor vehicles. Per NYPD policy, few of these crashes were investigated by trained officers.

Of 12 fatal crashes on surface streets reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, three motorists were known to have been summonsed or charged criminally for causing a death.

Injuries to New York City pedestrians and cyclists are up this year compared to the same time period in 2014 and 2015. Data: Mayor's Office
Injuries to New York City pedestrians and cyclists are up this year compared to the same time period in 2014 and 2015. Data: Mayor’s Office

Based on NYPD and media accounts, at least five victims were believed or known to have had the right of way when they were struck. The truck driver who killed Elise Lachowyn outside the Javits Center was charged under the Right of Way Law. The livery cab driver who hit Carol Dauplaise in Midtown was charged with failure to yield and careless driving. The woman who killed cyclist Stanley Marshall in Staten Island was charged with manslaughter and impaired driving.

Gwendolyn Booker was struck by a school bus driver on a sidewalk in Brooklyn. Police and District Attorney Ken Thompson filed no charges. Dorothy Heimann and Maria Minchala were hit by turning drivers at intersections in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively. No charges were reported filed for either crash. Alexa Smith, 16, was killed on a street in Queens with a 40 miles per hour speed limit by a dollar van driver who left the scene. Jose Contreras, Besik Shengelia, and an unnamed male pedestrian were killed on the same night by hit-and-run drivers in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Historically, nearly half of motorists who kill a New York City pedestrian or cyclist do not receive so much as a citation for careless driving.

Five motor vehicle occupants died in the city in February, according to the mayor’s office, and 2,579 were injured.

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