‘Gone Girl’ Actress Critically Injured by Hit-and-Run Driver Near Lincoln Center
Amsterdam Avenue and 64th Street.
By Carol Tannenhauser
On Friday night, police reported that “a 65-year-old female” was struck and critically injured by a motor vehicle on Amsterdam Avenue and West 64th Street, which “passed through a steady red light and fled.”
On Saturday, family and friends identified the victim of the alleged hit-and-run as Lisa Banes, an actress from Los Angeles, best known for her roles in the films “Cocktail” and “Gone Girl,” and many other theater and television appearances.
Banes was reportedly heading for a dinner party, but had stopped to visit her alma mater, Juilliard. “[She] was in the crosswalk and had the right of way, according to police, who said it was unclear what kind of vehicle the suspect was driving,” the New York Post wrote. “No one knows for sure. Some witnesses said it was a scooter. Some said it was a motorcycle with no plate, an NYPD spokesman said.”
Banes was taken to Mt. Sinai Morningside with severe head trauma, the police told WSR. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
“‘We have several days ahead of us to pray for Lisa,’” her wife, Kathryn Kranhold, told the Daily News. “’If anyone has any information about the scooter driver, we ask them to please call the police.’”
The effort to turn NewYork into Hanoi should be recognized as such, before it’s too late.
We need licensing, registration and insurance for all motorized vehicles. And we need cameras everywhere.
And ruthless, draconian, harsh, swift enforcement.
Really, the death and accident numbers
are high. How did anyone think bikes of all kinds
would ever work?”
Ban bikes scooters motor bikes etc snd let’s return
to safety first
NYC doesn’t have the space to accommodate all
of these vehicles
What a poor decision!
could not agree more! no more bikes in NYC! Bikes and bike lanes have ruined the city. And they are dangerous for pedestrians. Prayers for Lisa.
We seriously need traffic cameras at most if not all intersections. Sure they don’t prevent accidents but at least make tracking down perps easier.
No one seems to care about pedestrians. You can’t walk anywhere in the city without trying to dodge bicycles, scooters, mopeds or cars driven by reckless morons.
Just awful!
True. Bikes, motorized or not, are going to kill us all.
Bikes?? Agree we need more cameras but cars kill far more people in NYC than bikes do.
Could it be that at this point there are more of them?
Cars are more dangerous than bikes, period.
However, the answer to that point is that saying you’re safer with a poorly ridden bike than a poorly driven car is like saying you’re better off being mugged by a thug with a box cutter than a thug with a glock.
I’d rather not be mugged, thank you.
…and a woman in Queens was killed about a week ago crossing the street with the light by a motorized bike. All motor vehicles should be recognized as such and should be registerd and require insurance.
I almost got run over by two young guys on one of these scooters on Amsterdam last week. They ran a red light and laughed at me as I jumped back with my arms full of groceries.
They seemed to be part of the scooter and motorcycle mob that make a loud nusance of themselves in the evenings b/c they were followed by others ignoring the lights.
Whatever type of conveyance it was it makes it clear that people on two wheeled transport don’t have the judgement they so often claim to possess as to whether it’s safe or not to run a red light or stop sign. Sorry, but two wheelers should be required to obey all the same rules of the road as cars and be required to have license plates and be insured.
So terrible.
Hope that she recovers.
Other media are reporting it was a moped.
Yesterday was shocked to see 2 mopeds going through red lights.
And besides the usual cyclists going through red lights, saw 2 mothers with babies on bicycles going the wrong way and through a red light!
BdB’s NYC. Too many have zero concern about consequences.
I see electric bikes (and maybe scooters) speeding through red lights on Broadway in daylight. My friend was knocked down by an electric biker running a red wrong way on an avenue in daylight. Must remember to look both ways at night too.
Safety tip for pedestrians: Wear light-colored clothing at night. It will make you much more visible to divers.
They see me fine in the day and don’t care. I suspect if I wear light clothing at night, they still won’t care. I saw Maria Danzilo’s husband almost get killed by a biker blowing the red.
The issue is enforcement, which is easy to do, but unfortunately, lacks administrative support.
I completely agree with Michael. The motorcycle gangs racing up and down- town at night as well as during the day don’t care if you wear light colored clothing. They run lights and last year I had to jump out of the way when two came barreling sown the aide walk on west end Avenue and barely escaped jumping to the street and I’m a professionally trained dancer! Unfortunately I landed on a metal plate covered by wet leaves in the rain and slipped and twisted my back badly- couldn’t even sit up for two days. I did not call the police- what’s the use – they’re defunded and don’t enforce. But it pauses me off!!!!
Praying for the actress’ quick recovery – I’ am so sorry this happened to her!
I see electric bikes and motorcycles going through red lights all the time on West End Avenue. Where are the police? They should be licensed and ticketed. I might also add that regular bikes are now commonly riding on the sidewalks as well as going through lights. What are our candidates saying they are going to do about this?
Joan,
As mopeds and ebikes offer better control in stopping, there is no excuse for not stopping at red lights.
Truly incredible to see uptick in mopeds, ebikes and regular bicycles and t-scooters going through red lights.
Also so many adults on bicycles and t-scooters on the sidewalks
I see egregious violations by cyclists, blade riders, and scooter riders at least a dozen times a day.
At this point, I feel far more of a threat from out-of-control ‘wheeled device’ terrorists than the mentally ill and/or undomiciled.
Pedestrians should form a Pedestrian Defense Force (PDF), and aggressively advocate for their rights.
as a bike rider who is constantly yelling at other cyclists to slow down and be careful, I do wanna say that it’s not just cyclists, roller bladers and scooter riders that commit egregious violations every day, PEDESTRIANS do so constantly as well!!! Every day as I am riding my bike slowly and carefully, there are pedestrians walking against the light, head down, ear buds in, paying absolutely NO attention to anything but the phone in their hands, so please do not pretend that pedestrian’s don’t have some responsibility for the state of our streets – I would warrant there are more pedestrian’s disobeying rules than there are cyclists, simply by virtue of there being more pedestrians than riders
We should design our neighborhood so people can relax when they go for a walk, instead of expecting them to be on high alert at all times. A poorly designed, unpleasant city doesn’t make us tougher, it just kills us.
You’re completely right that pedestrians break the rules most often. However it should be noted that this outs the pedestrian in danger, not anyone else.
Bike riders are endangering pedestrians when they cross red lights, but also are in danger of being hit by cars.
As a pedestrian, I would say that I am most inconvenienced by pedestrians not paying attention, but the e-bikes are just speeding through the lights
You don’t think that a biker can get seriously hurt in a collision with a pedestrian breaking the rules? .
UWSider:
Except it’s not illegal to run red lights or use the side walks if one is on roller blades. And in fact, they take enough skill to use well and therefore skate fast, that roller bladders endangering pedestrians, and also not endangering themselves, is rare.
The only thing is that pedestrians may be a nuisance but they don’t usually cause a fatality if they run into you.
Um actually they do when they walk out in the road against the light and you are coming along on your bike. I have some look at me coming and still walk in front because they somehow think a bike won’t hurt it if hits them or I will be the one worse off. Let’s not pretend we don’t behave badly as pedestrians or it has not consequences.
I will vote for anyone who stops the vehicles running red lights. The pedestrians are just as bad, walking against the light. As a driver I stop at a red light. I don’t get to proceed because no one is coming the other way. Why aren’t the rest of them accountable? While I’m at it. Ticket all who have strollers in the street while waiting for the the walk sign.
Oh, please. Enough already with the “how about the other guy?” arguments. Of course there are some careless pedestrians (also old and slow ones) and of course there are some careful and law-abiding bicyclists. But the bottom line is that pedestrians always have the right of way when they have a green light (and at intersections where there is no light). https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/6549.pdf And beyond this is the simple fact that a stupid biker is more likely to harm a stupid pedestrian than vice versa.
dude I’ve been riding my bike for over 30 years here and the 2 times that I have been injured it was because of pedestrians – once one darted out in between cars into the bike lane and the other when I rang my bell and said excuse me to a pedestrian walking IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIKE LANE, going the wrong way, on their cell phone, going against the light and like RL’s experience, looked up at me said “fuck you” and then continued on, making me wipe out because I had to slam on my brakes. Yes, a bike can obviously cause more damage than a pedestrian but that doesn’t mean that said pedestrian should be able to behave that way
No one is going to be killed or seriously injured by a pedestrian, even one who is clueless on their iPhone. Let’s use some common sense.
Off topic, I’ll acknowledge, but do we really need a four-syllable euphemism — undomiciled — for the perfectly serviceable two syllable “homeless”?
What the world needs now, is euphemisms, sweet euphemisms.
Please adjust your ironometer, and embrace the manifest snark.
These electronic vehicle riders pay no attention to the traffic rules. They blow through red lights. There are children driving motorized scooters, no training no license no responsibility.
There is NO ROOM on the streets (and sidewalks) of Manhattan for any and all two wheeled vehicles, be they bicycles, e-bikes, motorized bikes, scooters, e-scooters, Revels, ATVs..
Those who advocate for more protected electric bike lanes, and those who support their continued existence, are responsible for the continued stress, mayhem, and deaths.
The evidence has been apparent for quite a while: There is NO ROOM.
Drivers of electric (and even gasoline powered) bikes/mopeds/motorcycles are getting more and more aggressive.
Yesterday evening I was running along the running & bike path along the Hudson around 100th when a small gasoline motorcycle sped past. No license plates, and no reason at all for him to be driving on that path.
DON’T DEFUND THE POLICE! WE NEED A VISIBLE POLICE PRESENCE and ticketing ~ with court appearances and fines!
Someone will be killed ~ for sure. I have come so close, and looking does not help. These people are murderers just as if they had a gun. This should be addressed like a crime, because a death by scooter is as dead as by a knife or gun.
Motorists on scooters act as if traffic rules don’t apply to them. This is getting more and more dangerous. Amsterdam Avenue is the worst, with the dedicated bike lane. This needs to be addressed before more pedestrians are killed.
This is perhaps one of the greatest public safety issues we face on the UWS. why none of our candidates has addressed this issue perplexes me. Also, why are these motor vehicles allowed in Central Park?
UWS is not wrong about the misbehavior of pedestrians but misses the point. When wheeled vehicles (including any kind of bike or scooter) do not follow traffic signals they seriously endanger other people, just like a car does, whether or not that pedestrian is following the rules. It is disingenuous of bikers to use the misbehavior of pedestrians to justify their own dangerous behavior. Imagine how unsafe everyone (including bikers)would be if drivers of cars behaved like bikers do? Yet a biker or scooter can cause the exact same kinds of injuries as cars can.
Pedestrians are very far from perfect and certainly cause some accidents but they don’t move at 10-20 miles an hour and this is a critical difference. Any wheeled vehicle has to be held to higher standard.
Our city government seems to want less cars and more bike lanes. That’s great but the pedestrians are more increasingly at risk. Bike lanes are for bikes, not electric bikes, scooters,mopeds,dirt bikes,motorcycles and yes as I saw the other day at 94th and Columbus. Even in Central Park most bicyclists do not stop or even slow down at red lights. If I as a pedestrian look both ways and wait for the green light to cross why shouldn’t everyone follow the rules.
Best wishes to Lisa Banes. She was hit by a scooter. So much for street safety with the increase of unlicensed vehicles. Pedestrians be dammed should be the motto for increasing unlicensed vehicles.
I am SO sick of these scooter/motorcycles. Nearly every night they VERY LOUDLY go racing down Broadway. Enough! We need cameras on every block and anybody racing needs to be stopped. There needs to be enforcement.
cops don’t seem to care that motorized scooters (gas ones, not just electric) are often in bike lanes or on the Central Park bike path.
that said, I also see plenty of pedestrians not doing what they should, like walking in or standing in the bike lanes, running across the street while bikes or cars are crossing etc…
people just need to follow the law and pay attention. assuming someone else will do what they are supposed to (whether pedestrian, automobile or bikes/two wheeled vehicles)
Praying for recovery of Lisa Banes.
I am terrified of the delivery motor bikes. They go very fast —I am sure someone will get killed. I think ALL motorized vehicles should be licensed and ticketed. There is no enforcement.
There are a few of the same men on motor scooters speeding on the bicycle path along the river. They also ride on the sidewalk sometimes. No consideration for pedestrians.
Where are our pedestrian, or walkers’, rights? The city carved out lanes for bikers a few years ago, but these bikers travel in any direction they please, regardless of the rules; I was crossing at a green light in Central Park when a man on roller blades came zooming through, screaming “You better run now”; similarly, I was crossing West 74th between Columbus & Amsterdam last week when a man on a motorized bike shot down the street like a flying banshee, which wouldn’t have been half bad except he was going against the light AND in the wrong direction. Either these riders are killers or they simply expect pedestrians to have eyes and ears with circular motion, seeing and hearing all!
I’m curious why she was taken to Morningside when Mt. Sinai West was 4 blocks away.
I agree with Julia. “ . . . pedestrians may be a nuisance but they don’t usually cause a fatality if they run into you.”
The police are salaried workers, paid the same regardless of whether they are making a great effort, a small effort, or nearly no effort.
They will not concern themselves with the threat posed to pedestrians by two wheeled vehicles until the political pressure becomes unbearable to them. Until that moment, the stress, the mayhem, the injuries, and the deaths will continue.
In brief, time for a few rallies at One Police Plaza.
Perhaps this will push our city to pass some legislation to control the exponential growth of unregistered,unlicensed and uninsured motorcycles, scooters, ATV’s and all the other dangerous very fast vehicles that are flodding our streets.
But, in reality, how will regulation be enforced?
Who will stop to ticket these riders? Meter maids? Police?Cameras?
In fact, are there still police patrolling our streets?
Maybe if we weren’t all so fat and lazy and actually went and picked up our food (or god forbid cooked our own) all these delivery bikes wouldn’t be a problem.
Have any of the candidates added the two-wheeled” menace to their “If I’m elected I’m gonna do . . .” list?
In the last Mayoral Election or maybe it was the one before candidate John Castamatides said he would do away with bike lanes if elected Mayor. We are stuck with them now.
Electric bikes often race on sidewalks, going around 20 mph. One can’t even take a relaxing walk on sidewalks anymore. Politicians seem oblivious.
Wishing Lisa Banes a quick recovery.