A man was hit by a car on 96th street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue around 7:20 p.m. on Friday night, a witness tells us. We have included his account below.
An FDNY spokesman said they got the call at 7:23 p.m. and transported the person to Mount Sinai Hospital, but didn’t have information on his condition. An NYPD spokesman told us Saturday morning: “We have nothing on that yet.”
“Tonight (Friday c. 7:20 pm) I was on the scene when yet another collision involving a pedestrian and vehicle occurred at the southeast intersection of 96th and Broadway (actually, just a little east of that, between Broadway and Amsterdam). The car, with NJ plates and driven by a middle-aged woman, was traveling east and struck an older man hard. I was about 20 feet away and heard a loud crunching sound and the screams of numerous pedestrians. Unfortunately, I only looked up once I heard the crash/crunch, so could not determine the car’s speed, nor whose right of way it was.The driver pulled over quickly to the side and looked to be in shock. The man lay on the ground and occasionally moved an arm, but was cautioned to stay still. I called 911 right away, as I’m sure did many others. However, the response was quite slow: first came a few police cars (after what felt like 5 minutes), then a fire truck, and at long last, the ambulance. A crowd of people stood around the victim as he was in the middle of the street, and they helped divert traffic and keep him still.I have yet to read in the news about the event, and so don’t know the fate of the pedestrian. But in a month of high alert from a seeming death-trap of an intersection, this comes as a shock, but sadly, not much of a surprise.”
I logged on to West Side Rag this morning looking for this very information. Knew you guys would have it. Very sad to hear this obviously!
There was also someone hit on 97th and Amsterdam on Thursday night around 11pm.
Was he hit by Mayor Deblasio’s SUV processional that was speeding & running red lights?
New York Post reader: This link is for you.
https://gothamist.com/2014/02/21/photo_de_blasio_jumps_turnstile_tag.php
A middle aged woman turning left from 96 into Amsterdam Ave almost hit me as I was crossing the street with the walk light. She was not looking at pedestrians crossing, just hurrying to make the turn. I had to jump backwards out of her way.
Later walked by where this man was hit and saw the ambulances.
I wonder how fast the woman was driving.
There have been too many collisions on 96th ST.
There was also another person hit by a car on 97th and Amsterdam, by a car heading downtown on Amsterdam from 97th Street, on Tuesday.
Amsterdam runs uptown at 97th St.
I was at our infamous 96th Street intersection late Sunday afternoon (around 5:00pm). It was very, very crowded – tourists and locals (finally a beautiful day to go outside). I stood and watched for a bit and was awed by how many people crossed Broadway (heading east) while the crosswalk light was still Red. At one point, I yelled out “people are getting killed in these intersections – you know this! Wait till the light turns for you to walk!” One woman walked by me and said: “You’re absolutely right.” She knew she was doing it wrong.
When I crossed over the street to the Southwest corner of Broadway/96th there was an overflow of people on the corner, waiting to cross 96th going North. The crowd was well into Broadway and 96th Street. It was a mess, and very difficult for cars to make LEGAL turns.
That corner is just a mess. I don’t know if there is an answer to our problem there. The Subway station – a nice convenience – really is the major issue there I believe. Imagine if they made an entrance on the north side of 96th Street – where the “Art Gallery/Community Center” is. Think about it. How many people would NOT have to cross 96th Street if that was an accessible entrance to the subway station. Wonder if that was ever under consideration.
Sorry for the rant people. I’m just upset that another 1 or 2 people have been hit in the area.
FYI, the entrances at 95th and 96th street were moved to the middle of the road because that was the only way to include an elevator between the street level and the platform. The entrances used to be on the sidewalk, and you had to traverse a few flights of stairs to get there. That really stunk if you had a stroller, were handicapped, had a lot of luggage, etc. If you still want to enter on the sidewalk, I believe you still can, between 93rd and 94th Street.
I, too, am shocked to see how many people are still jaywalking in/around the 96th Street area. All of these accidents have made me much more aware of my own habits, and I’ve been extra cautious to stay on the curb until I have the “walk” signal. While standing there, it’s not unusual to see dozens of people running across the street before it’s safe to do so.
Last night I witnessed a VERY close call on Broadway near Columbus Circle. A girl was crossing against the light, and was so engrossed in her cell phone conversation that she didn’t seem to realize she was walking into oncoming traffic. A cyclist yelled for her to watch out, and the 2-3 cars behind him slammed on their brakes. She kept right on walking and talking, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened. It’s a good reminder that whatever conversation you’re having can probably wait until you’ve arrived at your destination.
I don’t know how many more people getting killed or hit it’s gonna take for cars to slow down and pedestrians to not jaywalk. This is crazy. One addition: I’m both a pedestrian and a driver. Pedestrians should realize that drivers can’t always see you clearly, especially at dusk (when the visibility is bad plus there’s glaring sunlight) and night (especially when pedestrians are wearing dark colors). You should be extra careful then.
No Lisa. And I too am a car owner. If I have the right of way as a pedestrian in an intersection, I should NOT have to be more careful because it is dark, or rainy, or sunny, or whatever other excuse drivers are using to kill people these days in intersections. It is up to the DRIVER to slow down if s/he is encountering conditions that reduce visibility. And in every case, it is the driver that has the greater duty of care, not the pedestrian.
We need another subway entrance for certain. As a driver and pedestrian who lives on west end between 96&97, may i also say that we really need to break the NY pedestrians entitlement to jaywalking. On any given day, the amount of people who walk into the street and pay no attention is staggering.