A mother and her 4-year-old son were hit by a truck on Monday while they were crossing 65th street at Broadway, according to a report on NY1. The truck that hit them, however, sped off without stopping and police are now looking for the driver.
One report says
Wendy Ruther and her 4-year-old son were hit while walking to school on Monday morning.
The boy’s father, Aldo Lombardi, told NY1 that the two were crossing legally when three of the tires ran her over, and the driver just kept going.
He said police told him there were cameras at the intersection, but they didn’t catch the moment of the accident.
“We’re asking for help,” Aldo Lombardi said. “If anybody has seen any of this accident or has any piece of information, it will be really helpful because as of right now, nobody has come forward.”
Wendy suffered a broken pelvis and leg; her son sustained less severe injuries. We have checked in with police and will update if we hear more.
Update: Wendy Ruther’s husband says the truck was silver with some green. Wendy faces extensive rehab. “Ruther underwent surgery on her femur Tuesday and her pelvis is broken on both sides, her husband said. Doctors have predicted a full recovery, but her rehabilitation will take at least three months, her husband noted. She also underwent plastic surgery for a gash on her forehead but didn’t have any other upper body injuries, he said.”
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
Image of family via NY1.
This is horrible!!! What’s going on here??!! Is this a trend or has this been going on for a long time and now because of social media and the internet we hear more about it?
I’m pretty sure that wilding gangs of hipster bicyclists are the real threat to pedestrian safety in the UWS. This whole motor vehicle thing is just a big red herring.
I was just thinking the same thing Christina!! Terrible that this is still happening in the neighborhood despite all the coverage and traffic/pedestrian improvements.
Do hit-and-runs and the like get reported in the 20th precinct’s compstats? Seems like they ought to be. On the Upper West Side, I feel more at risk of assault or injury by a reckless driver turning through pedestrians in a crosswalk than anything else.
I was just thinking the same thing today. I walked from 67th and Broadway to 44th and 10th, and I had close calls in the crosswalks (while crossing legally) the whole way. I feel it’s drivers who are from outside of the city, who have no investment in the community. It’s such a shame that the residents who pay taxes here are the ones who suffer. What a tragedy for this woman. My heart goes out to her and her family suffering so needlessly.
It’s just getting worse! What is going on with these drivers? Prayers are going out to the mother and her child.
Horrible. The city needs to take action to reduce this. Where is the plan from the current administration?
The City’s answer was the knee jerk law to reduce the speed limit in the whole city to 25 Miles per hour.
Which of course does nothing to stop criminals who hit and run, but of course becomes another revenue source from all the extra tickets from normal drivers. this is now the law of the land in all of NYC – includes the most suburban parts of staten island, queens and brooklyn…..
enforce the existing laws and ticket and arrest those who harm or kill.
It’s not knee-jerk. From Transportation Alternatives:
“A pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling 30 mph is twice as likely to die as a person struck at New York City’s new default speed limit of 25 mph. A pedestrian hit by a speeding driver going 40 mph is more than 5 times more likely to die than if hit at 25 mph. And at 20mph –- the speed limit our residential areas should have –- there’s a 98 percent chance a pedestrian in a collision will live – See more at: https://transalt.org/about/facts#sthash.KenTmPpD.dpuf“
of course added enforcement is part of Vision Zero, which is much much more than decreasing the speed limit (though that step probably will help).
there are 63 distinct items in the initiative.
https://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/initiatives/initiatives.shtml
in fact, i heard De Blasio was actually behind the wheel…
seriously, it is ironic that you ask… apparently the “Vision Zero” initiative to reduce traffic accidents never got on your radar screen.
https://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/home/home.shtml
Nothing new there in that plan–those ideas have been batted around for years. And street safety is not a topic that I’ve heard the administration talk about much compared to other initiatives. Let’s hope they implement some of this. The changes have been underwhelming so far.
No hiding your agenda, huh?
Let’s hope that they catch this creep and prosecute him if he was at fault. Best to Wendy and the Ruthers.
This is one of the most dangerous intersections in the neighborhood. On any given day you can stand on the corner of 65th/Columbus/Broadway and within 5 minutes easily witness 10-20 significant traffic violations. Unfortunately, if history is a guide, nothing substantial will be done until a few people are killed there. If nothing else, at least put up a couple of red light cameras and you’d take a big bite out of any budget shortfalls the city has.
Does this family need any type of assistance? Please let us know if we do.
We can debate politics all day — I usually do — but would like to know if there’s anything we can do for this family **now.**
Apologies for nonsensical remark. Please let us readers know if there is anything **we** can do to help this family.
thank you whassup, you’re right.
https://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-uws-mom-wendy-recover-from-hit-and-run/272733
DONATE HERE: https://bit.ly/1tGZZ0e
I set up an account for my friend, Wendy. Please give whatever you can during this holiday season.
Thank you,
lee
I will be praying the person gets what they deserve pray for me and my family Tuesday evening my five year old daughter got hit by a Melissa lady that was speeding thru in her silver truck and I tried to grab her and I almost got hit trying to save her and she didn’t stop until my daughter was already under the truck. Luckily she just had scraps and bruises but I’m pressing charges pray she gets what she deserves soon.