UPDATE: Tuesday, April 29 at 8:50 a.m.: Almost six months after Upper West Side resident Miriam Reinharth, 69, died after being being struck by an ambulance near Amsterdam Avenue and 96th Street, an arrest has been made, police announced on Monday evening.
Juan Santana, 28, who was driving the ambulance at the time, was arrested on Monday and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, police said.
Reinharth, 69, was hit by the ambulance on November 12, 2024, and transported to Mount Sinai Morningside with a broken leg, but in stable condition, police said. She later died from her injuries at the hospital, according to her police and family.
You can read more in the original story below.
By Gus Saltonstall
An Upper West Side woman tragically died after being hit by an ambulance Tuesday afternoon near West 96th Street, a police spokesperson confirmed to West Side Rag.
Miriam Reinharth, 69, a resident of West 93rd Street, was struck by an ambulance around 12:50 p.m. on Amsterdam Avenue and West 96th Street, police said. She suffered a broken leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, where she died during surgery related to other injuries sustained during the collision, police and her family said.
The ambulance was traveling north on Amsterdam, turning left on 96th Street and headed to Broadway, when the collision took place, sources familiar with the accident told the Rag. We will update this story when there is more information to report.
In 2023, Curbed wrote an article about the dangers of the 96th Street and Amsterdam Avenue intersection titled: “The Upper West Side’s Zone of Pedestrian Death.”
Reinharth’s husband, former New York Times journalist Steven Greenhouse, penned a Facebook post on the passing of his wife of 39 years:
“I have very sad news. My wonderful wife, Miriam Reinharth, was hit by a car — actually by an ambulance — around 1 p.m. yesterday and she died several hours later.
This is so sudden and shocking and upsetting that it’s hard to discuss and process. And it feels insane and unfair.
The ambulance that hit Miriam at 96th and Amsterdam took her to St. Luke’s Hospital — the police officer said the accident was not Miriam’s fault at all. The doctors there at first told me that Miriam had a broken leg (with several fractures), and I thought Miriam, with her strong will and fighting spirit, would be as good as new in a few months. She was conscious and gave me the warmest smile as she was being wheeled out of the ER for a CT scan and surgery.
But an hour later the doctors at St. Luke’s informed me that she had a few fractures in her pelvis. It didn’t sound so serious. But then two hours later, another doctor called to say that the fractures in the pelvis were very serious and Miriam’s pelvis was bleeding seriously, and she was unstable and they were giving her repeated transfusions. And the next call was that her heart had stopped for eight minutes, and that they were still trying to revive her.
This is a huge shock to all of us. So many people loved Miriam. She was a loving mother, grandmother, wife and friend to many. Emily, Jeremy and I shall miss her forever, and so will our four beautiful grandchldren: Eli (5), Henry (4), Ida (3) and Edie (almost 2).
On Monday, Miriam spent the most splendid, happy day with our grandson Eli at Prospect Park Zoo. That night she and I agreed to take a week-long vacation in San Miguel de Allende in January, and Miriam was saying we should spend a month soon in her beloved France, where her mother was born.
Miriam was so full of life and so looking forward to many more happy years together. We were to celebrate our 40th anniversary in February, and Miriam’s 70th birthday is this March.
I’m beyond sorry to have to share this horrific news with all of you.
Emily, Jeremy and I are still figuring out funeral plans
Love to all of you, and thanks to everyone for your outpouring of sympathy and love.”
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This is a tragic, unfair loss. Condolences to Miriam’s loving, grieving family. May her memory be a blessing.
What changes will be made to the “zone of pedestrian death” so that she is the last person to die there?
heavily restricting automotive traffic
That intersection is hazardous. Going north drivers have to negotiate four separate traffic lights or turn signals while anyone crossing on foot has to cross a bike lane and five lanes of car traffic that start the moment you step off the curb. It’s like a 70-foot run to safety across Amsterdam Avenue.
They already put delayed left and right turning traffic lights to give pedestrians crossing time – as well as bikes going north time to not get cut off by turning cars. I am extremely careful riding north there because of that. Details on how this tragic accident happened will hopefully come.
See details below and in the Facebook post quoted above. She was hit and run over while walking with the light and in the crosswalk and while a fellow pedestrian yelled at the driver of the ambulance warning the driver to stop.
Thanks for the important details, Hayden.
This is horrible, and heartbreakingly sad. May her memory be a blessing.
A tragic loss of life. Prayers to the family
These reports are not helpful from a perspective of how to make things safer as the pertinent circumstances are never reported on. The referenced “Triangle of Death” article lacks any detail on the accidents and many of these incidents are not as cut and dried as they seem. One involved jay walking in the middle of the block. 96th is a busy dangerous street and yet you can watch pedestrians take their lives in their hands regularly crossing on reds and jay walking.
The result is that the usual lobbyists blame cars and make knee -jerk changes without understanding the behaviors or facts of the accidents they are using for political gain. The results are that they have not made our neighborhoods safer and have in-fact made them more congested and polluted.
Will we ever learn what happened here and will it result in meaningful change based on facts?
Bill, Miriam was crossing in the crosswalk and with the light. A passerby yelled at the ambulance driver before the driver hit her. The driver is at fault, as are the designers of the intersection, which has an acknowledged history of traffic violence and all the politicians who haven’t done enough to make this intersection safe. I don’t think its particularly helpful to blame the victims of the past violence or to try grind your very large, very clear axe here.
I’m so sorry. What a loss.
My elder neighbor got hit in the very same intersection two years ago. She died at the hospital as well. How could we make it safer especially for older people?
The crossings around 96st are a menace. That middle crosswalk at 96th and Broadway will be next for someone to die. Why have a pedestrian crosswalk in the middle of Broadway if it’s constantly blocked by cars on a WALK pedestrian light meaning we have to walk into one of the lanes of moving traffic on Broadway to get around the cars to cross to and from the subway. The crossing at the west side of Broadway by Citibank/TMobile is also frequently blocked during a WALK pedestrian signal meaning we have to walk around or through the traffic. Cars CONSTANTLY running red lights at 96th and Broadway. Death zone for sure.
I feel for her family and witnessing many ambulance’s in the city on how reckless they are in driving and sirens are so loud. No wonder they hit somebody and most likely not even knowing it!
How to dreadful, how sad.
My prayers are with her tonight and her family 🙏
That is a tricky area. In addition to the regular traffic you have 3 bus lines at that intersection–M7, M11 and M96. There are also lots of cabs and bicycles. It would be interesting to know if the ambulance was rushing on an emergency call and had the siren going when the victim was struck.
My friend witnessed the ambulance hit her, and my friend heard someone shouting to the ambulance driver. The siren wasn’t on.
CB7 needs to report to the community exactly how mnay deaths have occurred on West 96th Street. There is still an unsolved hit and run/murder for example.
Gale A. Brewer who represents the 6th Council District and chairs the Committee on Oversight and Investigations should weigh in on this!!!!
Such tragic losses like this happen all too often lately. Each day as I walk on the sidewalk or cross the street I make it a point of looking in every direction. E/Motor and Citi bikes going the wrong way down one way streets and speeding cars (and ambulances) are a constant threat to pedestrians, Its very easy to get distracted by looking in the wrong direction ,
Cars repeatedly ignore the traffic signals at that intersection in an attempt to gain an advantage. They inevitably end up in the median blocking pedestrians’ right of way to cross the street to the subway. There is constant gridlock. And yet, nobody receives a ticket. Install cameras, go on a ticket blitz, and the drivers will pay attention.
I miss the Bloomberg days when traffic cops would actually ticket blocking the box… clearly drivers have noticed the lack of enforcement.
My condolences to her family. This is truly tragic and horrible.
The bike lane going through there is the straw that broke the camel’s back. The intersection was already chaotic but having that extra item to be aware of makes it scary. Particularly because too often I see bikes going the wrong way in the bike lane. Bikes going the wrong way in a bike lane or on a one way street should be an arrestable offense. Full stop. The bikers are out of control (and the anti-car gang responds in three, two, one…)
This may already be the case, but there should be no parking on the north side of 96 just west of Amsterdam, at least for several car lengths. This way cars turning left have a little more room to maneuver and are less likely to a) block the intersection, or b) rush through.
Hi Leon,
Miriam was struck and run over by an ambulance while she walked in a crosswalk and with the light. It had nothing to do with any bicycles. Maybe show some respect before going off about your pet peeves?
On your suggestion about removing parking, I don’t quite follow why the north side of 96th is at issue? Amsterdam runs one way uptown. If you meant south of 96th, there is, as you acknowledged might be the case, already a left turn lane without parking. The problem is that the roads are too wide there. Pedestrians and cyclists need more protection from turning cars and ambulances at that intersection.
Hayden
What a sad and tragic death of a wonderful woman who was just out and about on a lovely fall day. The city, traffic dept., and MTA need to work together to reduce the traffic (and hence dangers to pedestrians) at this intersection. Re-route the bus? Make no left turn? My condolences to her family.
Oh Steven, I feel so deeply for you and your family. My heart is with you. Such incredible sadness at this loss of your wonderful, vibrant Miriam. I grieve for you.
What a devastating loss. I am so sorry Steven and your whole family for this terrible tragedy.
I hope more can be done to prevent these accidents.
An old-fashioned idea, perhaps, but how about posting a cop at this and other very dangerous intersections?
There are traffic cops regularly posted at this intersection during rush hours, though I don’t find that they contribute much to safety. This happened at 12:50PM, however, so the cops weren’t there.
Are there? I recall we had them for the past few years, but I haven’t seen any on 96th and WEA/Broadway/Amsterdam.
Very sad. Best wishes to family. That can be a wild intersection to cross north-south even with the walk light because of left and right turning vehicles heading west-east on 96th.
So very sorry for your tragic loss. May Miriam’s memory be for a blessing.
I am so sorry for your family’s loss. May Miriam’s memory be a blessing, and may she rest in peace.
Such tragic news! My deepest condolences to the family. This is very much near me, and I was at that exact crossing not a half hour earlier that very day. The risks of the 96th street crossings (not only on Amsterdam) are significant, and I’ve seen some close calls. I am so so sorry to hear of her being so hurt and passing from her injuries. May her memory be a blessing.
Very sad. So sorry for her and her family. I didn’t really know Marion but I saw her regularly as we exercise at the same gym. She always seemed very nice and thoughtful. Sad that someone so committed to staying healthy would lose her life this way. Reckless ambulance driving with violent sirens need to be reigned-in! And, of course, that 96St and Amsterdam intersection needs continued improvement. We are a pedestrian city; please relegate auto use as secondary!!
So sorry for your tragic loss.
This is tragic, and it’s a bit closer to home for me. While I didn’t know Miriam, I know Steve from when we started our careers as reporters at The Villager and the Upper West Sider weeklies back in the 1970s. I’m so sorry for his loss.
I’m so sorry. I didn’t know Miriam but I’m sure I’ve seen her. I live on 90th Street and her face looked so familiar. Good luck to family members in surviving this horrible tragedy.
The Vision Zero map at https://vzv.nyc/ maps traffic fatalities and shows a death at 96th & Columbus in 2023 and 2016. 2 others were killed close by on Amsterdam in 2018 and 2021.
This is clearly a dangerous stretch of road that needs to be redesigned for pedestrian safety,
Such a sad and senseless tragedy. Deepest sympathies to Miriam’s family and friends.
I regularly walk thru most of the cross streets at 96th where I have lived for 20 years.
Starting with the Park Transverse funneling toward the West Side Highway, high foot traffic on both Columbus and Amsterdam, high traffic subway stop at Bway, bike lanes (with bikers illegally riding in all directions), MTA bus stops, dedicated turning lanes, school and bus traffic. I would judge Amsterdam the worst of all because of the thruway nature of that avenue. Each of these corners is a cacophony of moving parts. I too would love to assign blame for Miriam’s justice, but the amount of driver distraction at these 96th street intersections is extraordinary. There is enough intelligence in this city to devise a safety plan.
ADDITIONALLY…what is going to happen with this corner when the congestion pricing shifts more cars to this area as drivers avoid entering the city below 60th. Until this is sorted, there must be full time traffic police at these corners during business and rush hours especially when congestion pricing launches. We certainly have enough technology at our disposal to control and monitor these problem areas. Condolences to the family and I hope they also can help to turn their tragedy into positive action and an outlet for their grief.
I think it remains to be seen what affect congestion pricing happens on traffic throughout the city. It did not work at all when first initiated in London. Every cabbie complained about it when I was there. As for dangerous intersections, they are everywhere there’s a restaurant shed, a bike lane, and a turning lane. You have to be extremely vigilant when you’re in a crosswalk even when you have the light and right of way — because of everything everyone already mentioned.
Congestion pricing will reduce traffic in the area.
“The blocks in Manhattan closest to the toll boundary, between 60th Street and 82nd Street, are predicted to see a 16.1-percent drop in VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) depending on the toll price, compared to a future where no toll is implemented.” (82nd-126th St is expected to see a smaller -3.5% decline) https://council.nyc.gov/gale-brewer/2022/08/18/streetsblog-mythbuster-congestion-pricing-study-shows-neighborhoods-wont-be-flooded-with-desperate-parkers/
A lot of the traffic on the UWS is people driving through the neighborhood to get to Midtown. Congestion pricing will mean fewer car trips to Midtown, which will mean less traffic on the UWS.
The ambulances are quite literally out of control in this city. There is zero enforcement of when they run with lights and sirens even though the industry guidelines are very clear. It’s well know that certain companies use lights and sirens on non-emergency transports so that they can bill more for those rides. I have seen it reported that the ambulance that hit her is the one that transported her to the hospital. So does that mean that they were not on an emergency call at the time? That intersection absolutely needs design improvements but also, let’s get the emergency vehicles in line as well (that includes the drivers who refuse to pull to the right to let them pass).
Having been a paramedic in that specific area for a decade, and living there for many more, I’ll simply say Ullshitbay. You clearly have a warped agenda in mind and know nothing about ambulance billing operations.
(The whole issue of “911 EMS charges is another question, all together).
Now… is it possible the ambulance operator was clumsy, careless, and [deleted]? Certainly plausible.
Oh, note that none of the stories have yet ID’ed whether this was a private unit, a hospital one operating under the “911 contract” (roughly 1/3rd of 911 EMS calls are turfed out), or an actual FDNY crew.
Thank you for your service.
As you must know, the use of lights and sirens is to be reserved for when the outcome of the patient will be considerably improved by expedited transportation. As you know firsthand, in the field stabilization has come a long way over the years and the skills of paramedics and EMS such as yourself have saved countless lives. That said, there is tons of data that shows that the unpredictable driving that results when running lights and sirens can actually cause more harm than good.
(January 2024 NEMSQA report found that “the use of emergency vehicles’ lights and siren does not save clinically significant amounts of time, and it is associated with an increase in ambulance crashes.”)
Particularly as other vehicles become more soundproof for the passengers inside, reducing their awareness of approaching emergency vehicles. .
You are right, we don’t know who the operator was. But the company I was primarily referencing has the initials SC and can regularly be seen running lights and sirens, speeding through intersections, etc only to sit in the vehicle, staring at their phones for long periods of time upon arrival at the local senior housing facility on my street.
I have no agenda other than to increase the safety of our roads and that includes all users (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency responders). If my statement seems “warped” to you, then we can agree to disagree, because I have done quite a bit of research on this subject in addition to my first hand experience.
I am so sorry for your tragic loss! May Miriam’s memory be a blessing.
I am so sorry about this. So terribly heartbreaking. All love goes out to Miriam’s shocked and grieving family.
This is too sad for words. A stark reminder to hold our dear ones close. My heart aches for this family.
That intersection terrifies me. I try to cross 96th on the east side of it. There are so many competing interests passing through that box. Perhaps congestion pricing will help calm it down a bit.
Pls come to the monthly 24th Precinct Meeting Wednesday Nov 20th at 7pm. It is held at the library across the street from the precinct.
You can ask any questions you may have for the command and any info you might be looking for.
Yes, it is a bad intersection, but it has only gotten worse with all the DOT changes pushed on us all by self-appointed community leaders.
It’s only been made worse by cutting the travel lanes from 2 to 1. This was done to create a bus lane, but 96 is vastly different from other cross streets in the area as it’s the only one an exit/entrance to both the FDR and Westside Highway.