Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
Recent Posts
Motorist Who Killed Phyllis Pitt “Most Likely” Not Cited for Careless Driving
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A Brooklyn motorist who jumped a curb, fatally injured a pedestrian and crashed into a restaurant while attempting to park her minivan last week will likely not receive as much as a traffic ticket, according to NYPD. Phyllis Pitt, 64, was walking on Flatbush Avenue near her Marine Park home at approximately 1 p.m. on […]
William Boney Killed in Brooklyn, Driver Charged With Manslaughter
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The motorist accused of fatally striking a Brooklyn pedestrian while driving drunk this weekend will be charged with manslaughter, Streetsblog has learned. At around 12:34 a.m. Sunday, William Boney, 49, was crossing Atlantic Avenue at Troy Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant when he was struck by a Lincoln Navigator driven by Carmelo Galloway, 39, according to reports. […]
Pedestrian Killed in Crown Heights on Monday, No Charges Filed
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A 20-year-old man was struck and killed on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights on Monday. The victim was crossing the street near Schenectady Avenue at approximately 8:40 a.m. when he was hit by the driver of a westbound Ford van, according to NYPD and published reports. He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he […]
Judge Clears Unlicensed Driver Who Left Doored Cyclist to Die in the Street
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An unlicensed driver who fatally doored a Brooklyn cyclist and left the scene has had the sole criminal charge against her thrown out of court. In September 2010, 23-year-old Jasmine Herron was run over by a city bus on Atlantic Avenue after Krystal Francis, of Staten Island, opened a car door in her path. According to reports, […]
Three Strikes Bill Would Terminate Licenses of Serial Dangerous Drivers
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One of the more pernicious shortcomings of New York State’s slapdash traffic justice system is its failure to keep dangerous drivers off the road. As long as repeat offenders pay their fines and don’t get caught driving drunk, they can for the most part count on holding on to a drivers license, no matter how […]
NYPD: No Video of Driver Who Killed Roxana Sorina Buta
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The woman killed by a hit-and-run truck driver at Union Square last week has been identified as Roxana Sorina Buta. Last Thursday at approximately 1:30 a.m., Buta, 21, was walking east across Broadway at 14th Street, in the crosswalk and with the light, when an eastbound dump truck driver made a right turn and ran her […]
No More Excuses: Albany Bill Tells NYPD How to Enforce Careless Driving
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At the February City Council hearing on NYPD traffic enforcement, council members and the public learned that a driver who injures a pedestrian or cyclist in New York City is not normally cited under the state vulnerable user laws unless an officer witnesses the violation. NYPD officials said department protocol prohibits precinct officers from issuing tickets […]
Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
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A 21-year-old woman was killed by the driver of a dump truck in a hit-and-run crash at Union Square early today. According to reports the woman was walking east across Broadway at 14th Street, in the crosswalk and with the light, when the truck driver, also heading east, made a right turn. The driver continued […]
NYPD Crash Report: 12 City Pedestrians, Five Cyclists Killed in April
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Seventeen vulnerable users were killed on city streets in April, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. City-wide, 12 pedestrians and five cyclists were fatally struck by drivers: three pedestrians and one cyclist in Manhattan; three pedestrians and one cyclist in the Bronx; four pedestrians and two cyclists in Brooklyn; one pedestrian and […]
Pietro Palumbo Killed by Driver in Manhattan, No Charges Filed
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A pedestrian killed in Kips Bay last week has been identified as 76-year-old Pietro Palumbo. Palumbo was crossing East 23rd Street near Second Avenue at around 1 a.m. on Friday, May 18, when reports say he was struck by a 1997 Acura driven by a 72-year-old woman. According to DNAinfo, the then-unidentified victim was crossing […]
NY1 Poll: 68% Correctly Believe Drivers Cause Most NYC Traffic Crashes
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NY1 today announced the results of a traffic safety poll, conducted by Marist, which asked New Yorkers whom they blame for most city traffic crashes. The results, as reported by the affable Roger Clark and Pat Kiernan: 68 percent of those polled city-wide believe motorists are responsible for the majority of crashes, 19 percent think […]
Bronx Pedestrian Struck in Tremont Neighborhood This Morning
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A pedestrian was struck at East Tremont Avenue and Third Avenue in the Bronx earlier today. At 8:48 a.m., @NYScanner reported that two people were hit by a truck and that FDNY was on the scene, with EMS requested and the NYPD Highway Division notified. According to FDNY, one person was struck and was taken […]