By Daniel Katzive
Update, 12:03 p.m., Sunday: On Sunday morning, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed that a one-year-old child in a stroller and a 43-year old man were struck by a taxi driven by a 63-year-old man, as they were crossing the street Saturday at about 2 p.m. They were treated at the scene by EMS and transported to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in stable condition. The NYPD had no record of any arrest or summons issued to the driver, who remained at the scene.
9:02 p.m., Sunday: In response to an inquiry from WSR, Mount Sinai Morningside confirmed that the injured child was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, the same day as the accident. We will update the article further if we receive information on the condition of the adult.
Original Post: A taxi driver struck a child in a stroller and an accompanying adult Saturday afternoon at the corner of West 66th Street and Riverside Boulevard, according to people at the scene in the immediate aftermath, and scanner traffic monitored by Citizen App.
The FDNY confirmed that they received a call at 2:04 p.m. and transported two individuals to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, but were unable to provide further details on their ages or conditions. The NYPD was also not able to provide immediate information.
A crushed stroller was visible by a trash can near the scene in the aftermath of the accident.
Sharon Slotnick, who lives near the intersection, told West Side Rag, “We have been working with local officials for years to try and get a traffic light. The traffic and blatant disregard for stop signs are getting worse every day, and, unfortunately, a child was a victim today.”
The afternoon sun shines directly up this stretch of the boulevard this time of year, though WSR could not confirm that it was a contributing factor in this incident.
We will update if further information becomes available.
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Sharon Slotnick is 100% right. Nobody stops at those stop signs. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to jump out of the way.
Riverside Blvd. was designed poorly, with no real passing lanes. The best solution would be to ban all parking on the east side of the street throughout its length so that deliveries and pick-ups could be made against the curb without blocking traffic. That would deal with one problem; unfortunately not this one.
I also want to ask parents to please be vigilant (and this is not victim blaming!). I saw a man pushing a stroller on Broadway near 72nd on Thursday, at one of the intersections where traffic comes from all directions. He was on his phone, and he headed right out into the intersection, against the light, nearly getting hit by an SUV.
It was terrifying. He probably thought he was clear, since there didn’t seem to be traffic coming toward him just then. But the vehicle came fast across Broadway, with the light.
I see women pushing strollers across streets on Broadway, against the light. It’s especially shocking.
This is an ongoing issue in this area.
The constant illegal double parking and standing on Riverside South by delivery trucks, Uber and taxis, along with private resident vehicles doesn’t help. There is literally no enforcement at all. Traffic rules appear to be optional in the whole zone stretching up from Waterline Place to 72nd Street.
The mosque being on one Riverside Drive is also a big reason for this. So many double park to go pray.
Wrong location, this happened in Riverside Boulevard. You know, the faux neighborhood that looks like it could be Atlanta.
Strollers are horrible in city traffic you are pushing your child in front into traffic first to test the water. I understand this is not the intent but it is the result.
@ Dana Lerner: I’m very, very sorry for your loss and appreciate your advocacy for pedestrian safety in the name of Cooper.
@ Jen, Dana and NYCNative: I did not interpret OPOD’s comment as victim blaming; I read it as merely lamenting the physical dynamics or logistics involved with pushing a child in a stroller when crossing a city street because the child is in front of you and inherently vulnerable for going first, and you are unable to use your body to shield them. I also didn’t interpret the comment as arguing against the use of strollers and carrying your child instead. Pedestrian safety continues to be an issue in NYC and there is no guarantee against anything, with or without a stroller.
What does it even mean “strollers are horrible in city traffic”?!!!
My son Cooper Stock was killed 10 years ago on the UWS by a taxi driver. I have written about him in this paper. These comments are victim blaming and unbelievably offensive to me and the memory of every child killed in this city.
Dana, I’m always on your side regarding pedestrian safety. But I think Jerry does a superb job explaining the comment. I read it the same way, remembering what it was like to push a stroller in the city. I have many times had the same thought. The bigger strollers for smaller children were the worst. When we switched to the umbrella type stroller, visibility was much better, but it was still in front of us rather than to the side or behind. At some intersections, I would turn the stroller around to back into the intersection for the sake of safety. Daylighting at intersections would make a HUGE difference.
I am very sorry for your loss, Dana, and thank you very much for your selfless advocacy efforts on behalf of the rest of us.
I’m very sorry for your loss and yes we need improved pedestrian safety, but shouting down and claiming any sort of criticism is counterproductive. In fact if someone gets shouted down because they say something that you don’t like 1% of, it turns them against you.
Wow. Blame the victim much?
Have you ever tried walking outside for a number of blocks hand-in-hand with a toddler (FYI about 2-4 years old)? No? I thought not.
Try it sometime. Then report back.
I don’t know why the department of transportation doesn’t listen to the residents of an area. We do know best about what happens and traffic patterns. The dept. comes by, looks for maybe 30 minutes and makes a decision….that just dumb policy making.
And…taxis go flying thru red lights. So sad.
Oh, my god. I live here. My grandchildren are 10 blocks north and I have put thousands of miles on our strollers – right on this stretch. I look, I look, I look again and I go the 100th degree to be careful. And, still, I know that this can happen. It’s my nightmare. I am sick reading this … there are no words for this. Thank you for this story and let us all – ALL – send hope that the victims are OK. A baby … a stroller … no words.
I’m so sorry to hear about this accident, hope the victims are okay. The UWS is like a racetrack without regard for rules, traffic lights and pedestrians. Where is your elected councilwoman, at social functions. Things are only going to get worse with the proposed budget cuts.
Sharon Slotnick quoted in the article includes “…getting worse every day…” and I have to say that phrase is really resonating with me. People just seem less human. Less careful. More selfish and self-centered. “I’m in a hurry, I’ll take this corner fast.” or worse, “I like the feeling of driving fast, I’ll take this corner fast.” It goes for every interaction we have in this close-living city. Will the trend reverse itself? Doubtful.
I live in the neighborhood. There is also a wide food stall at the southeast corner of 66th and Riverside which greatly impacts visibility for both pedestrians crossing Riverside Blvd heading west into the park and drivers heading north on Riverside Blvd. I say a prayer every time I cross that intersection either as a pedestrian or a driver, it is treacherous.
The stop sign on the SW corner is covered by the coffee shop street patio. Sign should be moved to a move visible location.
I want 4 solutions from Gale Brewer:
1) Daylight all of the intersections on Riverside Boulevard (no cars / streeteries within 20 feet of the intersections, and no cars on the T part of the intersections.
2) Raised crosswalks for all of the intersections
3) The street has an extra lane in the middle that’s not being used. Add a protected downtown cycle lane on the west side of the street which will shorten crossing distances and concrete pedestrian islands.
4) Lower the speed limit to 20mph (requires change to state law)
None of this is hard to implement, just takes some political will to make our streets safe.
Completely agree. Should not require years to do
I hope they are OK.
Just watched a driver back over a deliverista on 94th St last night. Somehow he didn’t know the bike was under the bumper despite the screech of metal scraping against the asphalt. The bicyclist staggered up and rode away when the ambulance neared; the driver of the car peeled out then, too.
All these comments make sense all of them are valid, but simply there is no enforcement by the police department. Currently looking at at least five huge trucks double parked on Riverside Drive right under signs that say passenger cars only. The corner of our block, 75th St. has a no parking anytime area so that you can see when traffic is coming but there’s always a private car parked there or subcontractor van. Rules make Sense but it doesn’t mean Jack if there’s no enforcement
Trucks are allowed to be there if they’re making deliveries.
They’re never allowed to double park though. We need dedicated loading zones for deliveries and maintenance vehicles on every block. Double parked vehicles block traffic and are hazardous if an emergency vehicle needs to get through.
I tried for about two years to get my local representative to put in a stop light at Riverside Boulevard and 68th Street with no results. Perhaps I will try again. Or perhaps the rep will see this and chime in and do something before someone gets killed by a speeding car or motorcycle.
Unfortunately, a child only *almost* getting killed is not going to be enough to force an improvement in street safety in the neighborhood. We know how to create safe streets, there is just no political will to do it.
The need for street safety cannot be weaponized to eliminate individual car or motor vehicle ownership. That’s the issue.
Some of the stop signs on Riverside Boulevard are obscured be tree branches. Maybe someone from the Parks Dept. can trim them to make the stop signs clearly visible.