By Gus Saltonstall
Multiple people were hospitalized, including two restaurant patrons, after a police car swerved into an Upper West Side outdoor dining setup on Monday, in an attempt to avoid colliding with another car, a police spokesperson told West Side Rag on Tuesday morning.
An NYPD patrol car was driving northbound around 4:10 p.m. on Broadway near 112th Street with its lights and sirens on, when it swerved to avoid a yellow taxi that was traveling south on Broadway and had attempted to make a left turn to go east on 112th Street, according to police.
The patrol car swerved to avoid the taxi and struck a 70-year-old woman and 63-year-old man seated within an outdoor dining area on the block, according to police. While NYPD did not confirm which restaurant the outdoor seating was connected to, the photo sent to the Rag by an eyewitness shows that it appears to have been Tom’s Restaurant.
The two patrons, along with three NYPD officers and a civilian in the patrol car, were all taken to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition with minor injuries, police said.
The 37-year-old taxi driver was given a summons for failure to yield to oncoming traffic, police said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Honestly surprised this doesn’t happen more often
Exactly! Our roads were not built for tables and chairs! The pandemic is over! Hospitality taking advantage of what was a 4 year free gift. The novelty has worn off. Safety comes first!
The tables and chairs at Tom’s are on the sidewalk next to the building, not in the street or even on the street side of the sidewalk.
Our roads were built for pedestrians prior to the invention of cars and they’ve been taken over by drivers. If safety came first we’d have much narrower lanes and give more space back to pedestrians.
Do you still go places with a horse and buggy?
There’s transportation devices run by the MTA and Amtrak and for short distances there’s something called legs. There even happens to be a subway under Broadway.
yawn… you guys already have what we call a sidewalk. and guess what, even on both sides of the streets! Lucky you!
Outdoor dining has been here way before the pandemic. What the hell are you talking about?
Not on the streets. Outdoor dining was confined to the sidewalks before the pandemic, which is where it should return.
A “pedestrian” is in the patrol car? In the capacity of a … pedestrian?
ANY civilian can do an NYPD “ride-along.” You need to contact the Community Affairs office of your local precinct and apply for it. I have done them twice. They are quite informative and interesting. If the car is called to an actual crime scene, they leave you at a safe corner and move on. If they can get you back to the precinct first, they try to do so.
Unless I missed the edit, but it shows ‘civilian.’
You didn’t miss it – it was corrected.
Sorry, but the operator of the police car should have been able to, and chosen to, stop rather then divert into pedestrians.
dannyb, it’s fortuitous that you were there and can give us first-hand information on what the police officer did wrong.
Thank you for reporting this back to us.
Cue the defund Police Car movement.
Maybe they were on an emergency call ?
We are not getting the whole story.
you must be new to the city.
Foot posts Citywide.
he had a choice between hitting a car and hitting other peds, seems like the other car was more important.
Amazing. Another first hand report! Were you with dannyb?
Thank you for your eyewitness information.
When you are driving, you don’t usually have the ability to register the full surroundings and decide between a collision with another vehicle and other objects/people, especially when there is a good bit of distance between those objects and the road. The cab driver was required to yield to the police twofold- 1) because a left turning driver must always yield to oncoming drivers going straight and 2) a driver must always yield to an emergency vehicle with its emergency lights activated.
And Danny, the operator of a vehicle does not always have the ability to come to a full stop when another driver/pedestrian does something unexpected (by a reasonable person doing the same thing) or illegal. For example, if a car is five feet from the crosswalk as it is exiting the intersection with the right-of-way and within the legal speed limit, and a pedestrian steps out into the crosswalk against the light into the oncoming path of the car, the driver could not possibly have expected the pedestrian to do something so stupid and be able to stop the car. Brakes only work so well that the only way to guarantee being able to stop in time no matter what anyone does is to not be moving in the first place.
if you can’t make that distinction, you should not be driving.
None of that garbage makes it OK to swerve onto the sidewalk.
Sal do you really think the officer intentionally swerved onto the sidewalk?
Yes absolutely. When faced with the prospect of being injured in a crash he chose to save himself from the risk of being harmed.
cops drive recklessly literally all the time, it’s like their favorite thing to do after candy crush (and i’m sure there is a non-trivial contingent of cops whose favorite thing to do is to drive well above the speed limit while playing candy crush)
sorry but unless some strong evidence comes out that the cops were going at a safe rate (lol would not put money on that) dannyb is 100% correct. insane to give the cops the benefit of the doubt here
Why so disrespectful to the police? Also, please remember you are sharing your opinion, which is different from fact.
we’re all sharing opinions, louise.
the taxi driver probably shouldn’t have made that turn, but he also wasn’t the one who plowed into a 70-year-old and a 63-year-old on the sidewalk
the question is: do you think it is more likely than not that the cops were justified to be traveling at a clearly unsafe speed, and the answer is overwhelmingly “no”. nypd stats back this up – one in every four high-speed chases results in a collision, property damage, harm, or death. this is so clearly a problem that they had to publicly issue a new policy around these sorts of high-speed chases because they’re dangerous and often transparently not justified
so again – until we hear more evidence that they absolutely needed to be traveling at speeds both (1) unsafe to the officers themselves and (2) unsafe to the completely innocent people on the sidewalk they are supposedly protecting — until this evidence comes out, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt here. simple as that
Actually, they do get the benefit of the doubt. Our entire legal system is built on presumed innocence.
Really, Candy Crush? Just so disrespectful. If you need urgent help from an officer one day, let’s see how you feel.
not once ever in my 50 years have the police been helpful. they have lied in court, and lied to write summones, but not ever once helped when i asked for some.
look over their shoulders at their phones. you’ll be surprised what you see
I concur. Decades ago, I was a passenger in a car that had a collision with a police car. The police car (without lights/siren) went into the opposing lane to bypass traffic stopped at a light, and sideswiped us when they tried to cut back into the correct lane. The officers in the car started making up a story about how it was our fault. The only reason they didn’t get away with it was that the third person in our car was an NYPD sergeant who made sure that the report was written up to reflect what actually happened. If not for that, my friend who was driving would have shouldered the blame for an accident he didn’t cause.
I’m sorry that happened to you and your friend. In the case we are discussing the police car had lights and sirens on and the cab thought he could get in a quick left turn in front of it. That was a crazy stupid move to make.
I see. Guilty until proven innocent.
what on earth? have you ever driven?
not clear if you’re responding to me or the other poster, but yes, I have. In fact, I’ve operated emergency vehicles with, yes, lights and sirens and going through red lights, etc.
“Stopping” quickly is almost always an option. And with today’s “anti lock brakes” (we didn’t have them), something to be ready for anytime you’re driving.
Have you ever taken a physics class? We don’t know the specifics here of how fast the cop was gping or how close the car was when it made it’s left. But we do know that the laws of physics come into play (anti lock breaks or not) and a car cannot always stop in time to avoid a collision.
You seem to be suggesting that not only didn’t the cop try to stop to avoid the cab but that he swerved, heading towards the dining shed, and again chose not to stop but to plow into diners. Is that your take on this?
Lick the boot a bit more
The cop should have been altert to the guy driving the cab who wanted to turn left, even if the left turn would (and was) illegal under the circumstances.
Part of driving is expecting the unexpected.
Differently: The “rules” may have very well said the cabby was to yield, but the NYPD officer at the wheel of the squad car should have expected the cabby to turn.
It would be ironic (given the nonenforcement by the NYPD) if the cabby were glued to his smartphone when he made the illegal turn.
This is terrible. This is right at Columbia with thousands of students.
Outdoor Dining: It’s where the action is!
That’s the diner from Seinfeld.
“Jerry I swear; that outdoor dining place came out of no where!”
Time to end outdoor dining. At least a parked car or other parked vehicle would have been a more effective barrier.
Damn, that’s the best take you got from this? Maybe cars are DEADLY and should be more careful in a densely populated pedestrian such as the UWS
Yes, end outdoor dining. But no more cars. How about trees in the space instead? Everybody benefits from trees (unfortunately, so do uncontrolled dogs).
As a police officer driving is a part of your job. In essence being a professional driver is part of being a police officer. From what I understand, typically you have to undergo a certain amount of driving training to become a police officer and must train annually in driving. This officer should have made a better choice. I hope the people at the restaurant sue and get compensation from the police department. “Protect and Serve” unless there might be expensive vehicle damage involved 🤦♀️
This is the old “Protect and Serve” vs. “Protect and Swerve” debate.
You were there?
The fault should lie with the taxi driver who failed to yield to an emergency vehicle. Did the taxi driver have earbuds on or maybe texting or doing something on his phone.
OF COURSE the fault should lie with a driver who fails to yield to an official vehicle with flashing lights and siren! Have we lost our minds? Would the police bashers say the same if it was an ambulance in a medical emergency that had to swerve to avoid a distracted driver? Anyone who has driven in Manhattan knows well how dangerous conditions are caused by taxi drivers who without warning switch lanes, make u turns, or come to a dead stop to pick up a fare.
I wasn’t there, of course. None of us were. But the information provided makes it difficult to jump to the conclusion that it was the fault of the police. The cab driver, or the company, should be held liable for the collateral injuries. They were a major, if not primary cause of the accident.
Look again I said nothing about the taxi driver being innocent or not at fault. He probably should not have made that turn.
Why do you forgive the police officer so immediately for choosing to hurt pedestrians as their reaction?? As someone who has driven in Manhattan I understand taxis are unpredictably predictable in how they move. Cops in a car drive around Manhattan all the time so of course they would know best of all how unpredictable a cab driver can be.
None of this information changes the fact that the officer chose to swerve so drastically that all of the people inside their car as well as the people that were hit all went to the hospital. The officer made the wrong choice in their reaction. Thank God no one was killed because of their reckless decision
Wasn’t this an episode of Seinfeld with Kramer, Jackie Chiles and a personal injury lawsuit against the NYPD?
Oh Henry candy bar heiress
Rule number one is do not outdrive your ability to stop. It didn’t matter if they had lights and sirens, you’re in the middle of Manhattan and need to expect that sort of thing. This could’ve been so much worse all to save maybe sixty seconds at the destination if it had worked out? But hey, blame it on the cabbie.
Even worse, people here are blaming the outdoor dining and patrons.
Next time when you have a choice, hit the cab instead of the people.
Right?? Always choose the car over the SIDEWALK.
It used to be illegal to make that turn, i.e. left or right across the Broadway island when north and southbound traffic have the green light. There used to be signs prohibiting it. Drivers were supposed to wait for the crosstown light to turn (I still do). The reason is that there are often people in the crosswalk who have the light. Drivers often gun it to avoid southbound or northbound traffic and don’t see the pedestrians in the crosswalk. I would like to know if and why that law was changed.
I was hit driving on Broadway when another car made a left turn and swept right past the traffic island and smashed into me. That car had the red light once the turn had commenced. I didn’t know they changed the law about making such turns.
They didn’t change the law.
Something I’ve learned many years ago: do not risk hitting an innocent driver or pedestrian in order to avoid contact with the guy at fault. Should be a reflex.
Another example of why outdoor dining should not be allowed.
Another example of reckless driving at the expense of pedestrians
Of the thousands of sheds, and hundreds of thousands of diners utilizing them, I think this is the 3rd or 4th incident I’ve heard of like this. I’m not a mathematician, but I will take those odds.
It looks like a car assigned to the Transit Bureau. Maybe driving a victim to try and catch up to a perpetrator on a train to do an identification? Or maybe its just one of the NYPD’s preferred hires from the city that just got their license a month before the academy? Good to see people sticking up for the cabbie. They are known worldwide for their safety, courtesy and adherence to vehicular and traffic laws. Hope everyone gets better.
Enough is enough make the whole NYPD park all vehicles for 6 months. They can take the bus or subway like real New Yorkers.
They even used to get free personal metrocards from the MTA, but was program was cancelled because none of the cops ever used them
Gee, OPOD with another great idea.
I can’t believe the people blaming the police. Do you every do anything other than blame the police? So sick of it.
You would complain if they did NOT try to rush to where they needed to go. You would say they don’t care, they don’t try, why don’t they go after motorcycles, etc? They put pedestrians at the top of their lists which is WHY they can’t go after crazy motorcycles, etc.
Enough.
You risk YOUR life trying to answer an emergency call and then comment. They had their lights and siren on so blame the taxi if you NEED to blame someone.
When through blaming the police, one can always blame politician X. Oh wait, this accident didn’t occur in X’s district.
Honestly question, how does that boot taste? Pretty good, I guess?
LOLOLOL
Trust has to be earned, unfortunately NYPD has proven over and over again that they don’t think the rules apply to them. They’ve lost the public’s trust and with it the benefit of the doubt.
Please don’t ever serve on a jury. We don’t need people serving who disagree with the most fundamental basis for a jury system.
You think the fundamental basis for our jury system is ‘always trust the police’?? The jury system exists to determine if police reports are accurate and make them prove as much beyond a reasonable doubt.
New Yorkers have proven over and over again that they will sell their Police Department up the river whenever they feel like it. Take the George Floyd riots for example. They have lost the trust of their Police Department and good Cops leave for departments where they feel appreciated. Recruitment is a disaster and only gets worse. UWS Dad is a classic example of New Yorkers who Cops hate, and the reason they leave NYC.
Why is it so controversial to think NYPD should do their jobs professionally?
Has everyone forgotten our last NYPD chief was using fraudulent OT to sexually extort subordinates?!
Yup. Soon it will be just UWS Dad and his Open Streets.
He hates Cops and cars.
Right on!
Most cops are in it for the pension and not a deep desire to serve their fellow man. The cops who drove into the two old ladies are not purple hearted marines marooned behind enemy lines, they’re the blue collar brothers of plumbers trying to pay off their mortgage in Rockville Centre while griping about how much they hate the city.
Claire,
I recently had grand jury service. I’ve been on criminal case juries before but first grand jury experience.
Thankful for NYPD.
Some really horrific cases out there- including horrific sex abuse, child abuse…
Flunked out of the academy?
What I said wasn’t even an insult, 20 is plenty right?
Evidence for your claim?
I don’t live under a rock for starters. Every Long Island student I’ve ever had who bragged about using daddy’s PBA card to get out of running red lights and speeding. I knew a kid who totaled his dads car a few blocks from his house on Merrick Road, had time to run and grab the PBA card and never got so much as a ticket. He was the grandson of a famous 24th precinct detective who was responsible for railroading the central park 5. He’s still mad at Ava for the Netflix film depicting him for exactly who he is. No wonder cops are crashing into pedestrians, their parents spent decades teaching them such recklessness and retired early. Now they hang out at a bar off of Sunrise griping about the city and hoping Trump will return Nassau to 1958.
What?! For the pension? There are easier ways to get similar pension.
Unbelievable entitlement and snobbery.
People hate the police until they need the police.
And then they wonder why NYC has become a crabhole and the NYPD is not proactive.
Reflects the quality of the NYPD’s recent hires. Predictable, and another reason why more cops should be moved OUT of their patrol cars
everyone who drives here sucks. running lights, turning into people crossing, no one can stop before the line, right on red, all stop signs optional,, double the speed limit. any time someone proposes traffic calming all the cheapskates go nuts about losing a parking spot. LOL
I’m afraid the way outdoor dining has been squeezed in next to increasing bike Lanes and parking that these accidents are going to happen more frequently. There really isn’t space on the sidewalk for outdoor dining on some of these structures. They’re awfully close to bicycle and vehicular traffic.. caveat emptor
Outdoor dining. No space on sidewalks for pedestrians. I don’t appreciate having no space to get away from whatever needs getting away from out there at the moment — bikes, dogs, marijuana smoke, (how to POLITICALLY CORRECTLY say — people who everyone is needing to avoid!!!!!!!) etc. And God bless the NYPD — THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
OPOD, stands for One Pissed Off Detective, I retired a little while back, I worked on the UWS for several years and worked some of the most horrific crimes in this neighborhood. I have tried to explain readers here the danger of what was happening to this city. I warned readers about raise the age, bail reform and discloser laws which took effect in 2020. I worked robbery after robbery where the perp was 17 years old and got off scot- free. Then the George Floyd riots took place New Yorkers don’t really understand they fundamentally and permanently changed the NYPD. Patrol Cops went into survival mode. Teachers and Nurses marched in the streets protesting the NYPD over something that happened in Minneapolis. We did nothing wrong and the people of the city of New York turned on US. I used to be involved with Police charities, and I could pull up to any Precinct in the city pop my trunk and sell 100 t shirts for a fund raiser in an hour. After the city betrayed the NYPD I lost the pride in the profession, I lost the love for the job and the people of the city of New York. I did my job, and I never took short cuts. I had dozens of ” buff shirt” Police t shirt I bought to support this cause or that cause, I wore them almost daily many cops did. After that I put them all in the attic and never wore them again, after a while I threw them all in the trash. I watched what the NYPD was hiring, it’s good cops who use the job as a steppingstone or bottom of the barrel cops who will stick around for a while. When I took the test to get hired 12000 people took the test the same day I did. Nobody wants the job anymore. I wonder why? People here attack the Police over a traffic accident, an accident you know nothing about Shame on you.
Your department murdered Eric Garner, that’s why we were in the streets.
So did the driver do the right thing here?
Well said. Just watch them step on the rake over and over again. Zohran 2025!!
I for one thank you for your service. I will never understand the hatred for the police. So many white liberals hate officers and root for defunding while black city dwellers tend to feel more positive towards the police.
I don’t blame you for your bitterness.
Please know that there are plenty of people like me who support and respect our police. It’s the loud whiners banging their proverbial drums whose voices get heard.
re: NYPD and summer 2020, the ‘we did nothing wrong’ line is uhhhhh Nixonesque revisionism. MANY of us were in the streets that summer and saw the NYPD’s Bull Conner turn.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/the-nypd-beat-protesters-in-2020-will-there-be-a-reckoning.html
The city paid out more than $40 milllion in taxpayer money as a result. Misconduct complaints and payouts have risen steadily during Adams’ mayoralty.
Respect is EARNED, not given. And the NYPD is not a praetorian guard – it’s a civil service job and you’re beholden to taxpayers AND THE LAW
The NYPD has nothing to earn from you, nobody cares about you, your respect, emotions or feelings. I wish the NYPD would keep arresting all of you clowns during your “protests”…
A big issue here is that vehicles are allowed to complete left turns from Broadway without waiting for the light to change. A number of years ago, DOT told CB7 that vehicles turning left only have to stop and wait if there is a posted sign. My memory is that CB7 requested that DOT install these signs on every block on Broadway, but they have not done so.
On Park Avenue there are “Stop here on red signal” signs requiring cars to wait for the light to change and a green light for East/West traffic. This crash is a good prompt that DOT should install these signs on Broadway before anyone is killed!!
Comments, as usual, are the entertainment in this otherwise really sad story.
Everyone should know the rules and exercise proper judgment but who is perfect? Police receive training to prevent such poor judgment but clearly when it comes to a real world situation they make bad decisions. On a positive note, I’ve recently seen police cars speeding with sirens on yet very observant of traffic patterns. There is hope yet!
Who said the officer made a bad decision.
Maybe they took the course of action that caused the least injury ?
Seconds count when on route and aid/backup is needed.
Just. curious, what was offensive about my perspective?
That’s Seinfeld’s Diner.