By Joy Bergmann
At 7:25 p.m. Wednesday, a northbound vehicle on West End Avenue that was turning left onto West 72nd Street hit a pedestrian. Passersby immediately surrounded the fallen woman as they awaited emergency responders. The pedestrian was taken from the scene in an ambulance. One couple who did not see the accident, but did see the EMS response said the pedestrian did not appear to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
NYPD 20th Precinct officers would not provide comment at the scene. A mini SUV with Connecticut plates was stopped and a woman inside was questioned by NYPD.
According to building surveillance footage from 263 West End Avenue, the pedestrian was midway into crossing 72nd headed south when hit by the car. The pedestrian appeared to be near the crosswalk but glare reflecting off the wet pavement made it impossible to tell from the footage if she was within the crosswalk at the moment of impact.
Sounds like this SUV driver was “not from our zip-code”!
no, probably in a big hurry to get on the West Side hwy to get back to CT. Pedestrians? Oops, don’t have too many up in CT either.
Could as easily be an UWSer with a country house in Litchfield CT.
The suv had to dodge a bike but then hit the pedestrian, but at least the bike was not damaged
The pedestrian should bankrupt the driver and his/her family so they can live on the street. Right?
Yes that is the liberal American way , you know other people’s money that is the war cry of the liberal democrat .
…and the repub way is to bear no responsibility for your crimes. See also, Nixon, Bush Sr. and Jr., Raygun and Cheney.
Have to add Obama and Hilary to the list of corrupt politicians or it would not be fair
So your view is that a driver who hits a pedestrian should not be held accountable. Interesting view, I thought personal responsibility was all the rage in certain circle.
Yup, you cause damage, hurt people, kill people -you pay. You pay the government and you pay the victim.
if the driver was negligent, yes. if it was an accident anyone could have had on a dark rainy night, no. it’s very likely the driver has insurance as required by law
If a bike hit a pedestrian, would it also be “an accident anyone could have had on a dark night”?
as in the case with cars, it could be an accident or negligence. It’s rare to see a car driving at night without lights on. It’s commonplace with bikes. Bike lanes aren’t relevant here because a bike making a left wouldn’t be in a protected lane.
I think a court of law should decide! Pedestrians are not just bombs in the road. They are humans.
Actually Zulo, you are wrong.
Let the case be decided first.
Who is to blame is not known yet.
I live a block from there for 30 plus years, and have seen plenty of pedestrians crossing against the light, and I must admit, that until recently, I was doing the same thing some times.
So easy does it Zulu.
The reason for my comment to John was in direct response to a comment he made in a prior piece here at the WSR. Of course, I’m assuming it’s the same “John”. But if he is, he knows what I’m talking about.
Of course the case needs to be decided first.
Yes its me zulu 🙂
Zeus (great moniker),
The car was turning left. Is there a left turn arrow at that intersection? If not the pedestrian almost certainly had a walk signal and the car had a green light.
Given that the pedestrians injuries weren’t life threatening it seems this accident didn’t happen at a high rate of speed. Either the car was going slowly enough and/or attempted to break and swerve.
The intersection isn’t particularly well lit on any night. Add in the rain and it would be difficult to see anyone. Plus, many people have black coats. I’m not sure what the best solution to this is. Maybe all traffic stops while pedestrians cross then all pedestrians stop while traffic moves first N/W then E/W.
Yes, there IS a left turn arrow at that intersection and that is what makes it so unsafe. So the car might have had the arrow in which case the pedestrian was crossing against the don’t walk sign. Or not.
The left turn arrow doesn’t make it unsafe. That makes it safe for cars needing to turn left to get on the Westside Hwy. If pedestrians walked only when they had the light there would be nothing unsafe about the left turn arrow.
Unfortunately, some pedestrians still believe that cars will yield to them, regardless of the signal.
I say this as a pedestrian advocate who too often has to yell at my fellows to follow the lights.
Looks like a Lexus. You’re not going to bankrupt the driver because of an injured pedestrian. Heck, the owner’s probably going to need to buy a new one because of the dent in the fender.
That is a very dangerous intersection. I have complained numerous times to DOT and Rosenthal, but they don’t care. DOT was going to put a pedestrian island there but dropped the plan. Cars speed up at the intersection to make the light so they can get on the West Side Highway. A few years back a car making that same turn slammed into the building on the NW corner there as well. DOT refuses to acknowledge there are problems on WEA south of 72nd St.
I agree that this is a very dangerous intersection. If I have to cross around there, I often go one block out of my way to 71st or 73rd to cross West End Ave. I have observed many instances of speeding, angry honking, and aggressive turning around 72nd and WEA.
The proposed DOT plan to calm traffic at this intersection was modified by the community board. I was at the meeting to speak in favor of the plan. The original three pedestrian islands but was modified to appease opponents who voiced concern that “it was ugly”, and “ruined the historical nature of the street” among other usual objections to safe street redesigns.
I would suggest bringing this up with CB7 again, along with DOT and Rosenthal.
Oops, that should have read “the original plan included three pedestrian islands”
So is there a plan for the intersection or was something already implemented?
I too went to all the meetings but don’t remeber them shelving the island plan. Since then,I have brought it up to Rosenthal’s office in person and they didnt know what I was talking about. Couldn’t believe it. I also wrote and spoke by phone to DOT and got nowhere. Even though it was their plan
Ha ha..such clever comments. Glad people can see the humor in a pedestrian getting struck.
Not every minor bump and clunk is worth crying over.
So it”s ok to make light of the accident if the person struck wasn’t too badly hurt? At what point exactly does a pedestrian struck become “nothing to cry over” If it were a relative of yours my guess is never.
Why does nobody ever express sympathy for the drivers? I’m sure this driver didn’t want to hit a pedestrian. They probably feel horrible about it even if the pedestrian was at fault.
Tim I feel sorry for the poor lady driving back to her 8,000 SQ FT home in CT. She was probably texting her nanny and financial planner during her ride. I am sure the nasty pedestrian slithered into the street like a Rattlesnake with a “pet me sign on it” and dented the poor women car. Now she will have to deal with working class people to fix that dent. She is going to have a rough time of it the next few days.
Why are you assuming any of that? We’ve all seen pedestrians crossing against the light. Most of us have done it. It was dark and raining. Why are drivers not given the benefit of innocent until proven guilty?
Tim,
The reason is simple, the driver went home to their family that night, slept in their own bed and aside from being delayed from their normal schedule was largely unscathed from the whole incident. The pedestrian (whether at fault or not) more than likely suffered a life altering injury, or at the very least spent endless hours in the ER if not days. Perhaps is now stuck with medical bills and to make matters worse is going to have to miss work until they can recover, possibly exacerbating their financial conundrum. And in addition to everything I said that person is in PAIN. That is why most people with an ounce of decency and empathy side with the person that gets struck by thousands of pounds of steel.
I do have to say, the way you pose the question is troubling.
What is troubling about me asking why the driver is not presumed innocent?
It’s troubling because that’s not what you asked.
Here’s what you posted: “Why does nobody ever express sympathy for the drivers?” -Tim
You asked this question in the comment section of an article that is reporting on a human being that was struck by a motor vehicle. Do I really need to explain further?
A car hitting a pedestrian is unlike.y to be minor to a pedestrian. Just because the injury isn’t life threatening it doesn’t mean it’s minor or even that it won’t be life changing. Although the car may be just fine!
Are you all going to throw a tantrum and insist there be a bike lane on West End as well?
Alice, now that you mention it that’s a fantastic idea! Thank you.
Yes, probably!
Sorry for the long comment here. That’s so offensive.
First, a person was hurt and I hope they’re going to be okay. There is no indication at all that a cyclist was involved. WSR did good, careful reporting on the collision. I read John’s comment as a sarcastic joke not based in reality.
Second, the WEA safety redesigns stopped at 72nd and that impacts people’s safety from here south.
Third, the DOT chose not to put a bike lane on WEA but left space that occasionally sees double parking. Cyclists on WEA have no choice but to dodge the double-parked cars and trucks.
Fourth, many people who had opposed the idea of WEA bike lanes and were throwing spaghetti at the wall to try to block Amsterdam Ave’s bike lane shamelessly pivoted with a “not on AMSTERDAM. Put it on WEA.”
Fifth, working hard to support a safe street does not equate to throwing a tantrum.
Please be respectful.
When I did business outreach along Amsterdam, a lot of businesses were surprised that the plan wasn’t already a go. Not every business was in favor – there was one that was openly hostile. I won’t shop there again. But I also went into a lot of places where the owner wasn’t there, or had made the call not to take a corporate stand, but the employees working there said they personally supported it. They ride their bikes to work on the UWS. It’s a way that people get around – people who live here, people who work at the local businesses we love.
Sorry if I get preachy, I’m just really offended. These comments are ugly.
Seriously! What miserable, grouchy jerks we have in our neighborhood.
Does every avenue in Manhattan need a bike lane? Please, enough with the bike lanes already…(unless that comment was posted as a joke).
Wow I’m overwhelmed by all these great ideas. Yes, a bike lane on every avenue would be great. I’m down with that. Please keep your ideas coming. Thank you Alice and Stuart!
Stuart, does EVERY street on the UWS need 6 lanes of cars? Do we not get enough air pollution that we need to invite drivers from other neighborhoods to use Amsterdam as an alternate to the West Side Highway?
Oh, and there’s currently only 1 safe bike lane on the UWS going south, and 0 going north. Would be a shame if we gave them 1 lane, wouldn’t it?
Fyi there is a left turn arrow for cars heading north. When pedestrians are crossing 72nd, they often see the south bound traffic stop and assume it is safe to cross. Yet the northbound has a green for both straight and left turns. Given the conditions, it is certainly possible that the car had the light and the pedestrian was crossing against traffuc. But who knows.
I was in Riverside that evening after dark, and twice a pedestrian tried to run across the street in front of me. It is not well lit, rainy, and they were wearing dark is clothes. I was not speeding and was able to slow down in both instances. But I can see how something like this could happen to a driver. Not saying it happened here.
I’m not an eyewitness, but the building surveillance footage from 263 West End Avenue may be able to show whether the pedestrian was against the light or if she had the right of way.
All of the streets on the Upper West Side should be turned into pedestrian malls like Times Square. Sharing the Upper West Side with cars is crazy. It’s so dangerous. Will be good when all the cars on the road are self-driving cars!
Great idea!
Thank you to all the people who have been calling DOT and Rosenthal’s office regarding putting pedestrian islands on West End Avenue and 72nd and 70th Streets. We very badly need them in these very dangerous intersections. Please keep up the pressure on DOT to do this. In the past, traffic congestion wasn’t as bad on West End Avenue and the west 70’s as it has become now. So, because things have become dangerous for pedestrians, safety should take priority to design. Actually, pedestrian islands are not ugly at all and they don’t ruin the looks of West End Avenue. The pedestrian island that was put on west 66th Street and West End Avenue is very nice and created safety for pedestrians from cars there.
I witnessed devastating accidents between cars on West End Avenue & 70th Street right near CVS. That intersection has become out of control and it’s scary to cross the street there at all times except when there is a traffic control guard watching for the school kids crossing there in the afternoon.
Glad to read your comment regarding Rosenthal’s office. I called them today to once again ask about those pedestrian islands on 72nd and farther south. They gave no indication others had called… or even that it was a priority. I don’t understand this at all. Again, this is not the first accident there.
Being a long time resident living two blocks from that intersection, someone who drives in the neighborhood, and someone who was hit by a car as a child, I have to say that pedestrians have to take responsibility for themselves. If you drive at night, forget about on a rainy slippery night, it is very hard to see pedestrians crossing in the crosswalks (forget about j-walkers). Not placing any blame in this situation, which is unfortunate, but so many people cross avenues while texting, with earbuds in, or on the phone and oblivious to traffic. When I cross the street I try to be alert to where I am and what is going on around me. Of course at 72nd and West End we know people are trying to get home from work and are racing to get onto the West Side Highway. It really does not matter who is at fault. The pedestrian is always going to end up the loser, regardless of who had the right of way. Be careful out there.
This is probably one of the most sensible comments around here.
Accident? Left turns are the worst. The driver should know that and should compensate. This one did not. No accident here.
All buses and pedestrian sidewalks should be placed underground like the subways so as to not interfere with precious vehicular traffic
Well said.
Which business was openly hostile?
I live on 70th Street close to West End. The crossings there are well marked with plenty of extra pedestrian space and quite clear street lights. 70th Street at that point is a school street and the street-marking allowances take that into consideration. If pedestrians would take reasonable care and drivers obey the lights,nothing more is needed. I speak as an 80 year old pedestrian and a 50 year resident.