A box truck driver slammed into two pedestrians early Tuesday morning and then fled the scene, according to police. Police told Gothamist that one of the victims is likely to die.
“A 25-year-old man and a 36-year-old man were crossing Amsterdam Avenue near West 84th Street when the box truck driver, who was traveling north, struck them, an NYPD spokesperson says. Police responded to the scene at 4:47 a.m. and found the 25-year-old in critical condition. He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, as was the 36-year-old victim who had minor injuries.”
We will update this if we get a description of the driver or truck from NYPD.
No one should die by simply crossing the street. We implore NYPD in the 20th and 24th Precincts to make traffic infractions a priority.
I drive in the city a lot. It is not always the driver’s fault when someone gets hit. I took a picture the other day out my front windshield. About 15 people walked right in front of my car in spite of me having the green light. Not one person was looking my way. At 4:30AM, I would guess two young men weren’t paying attention and just walked across the street. Obviously, the driver not stopping is certainly curious. I hope this kid finds the strength to pull through. Very Sad. I wish them well.
Virginia,
That is the case sometimes but in my experience in the west 60’s. Vehicles rarely yield the right of way of pedestrians. Crossing west 63rd and CPW vehicles turn on the red light 24 hours a day. There is absolutely no traffic enforcement in my area. The only time I see police in this area is during a city event or when the protestors are blocking the streets, other than that traffic enforcement is laughable at best.
But (s)he left the scene.It happens at any time in all five boros.
I agree. If I drove the way that law allowed me to, that is to say I just plowed ahead based on my legal right of way, numerous pedestrians would get hit. But I drive defensively and assume these dingbats will do what they shouldn’t, and they never disappoint me.
The law does not permit you to plow ahead when there are 15 people in front of you, even if you have the right if way. If you couldn’t see them or couldn’t stop, it may be a defense, but you never have the right to kill or seriously injure people simply because you have the right of way.
Curious? I think the driver not stopping is actually criminal. My thoughts go out to the victims and their families.
Great, you taking pictuers when you were supposed to be driving!
Now that you have admitted breaking the law (depending on where this took place)…..what was the point you were trying to make?
In no city is it always the driver’s fault but in New York City, being the way it is and famously so, excuses are even fewer for drivers hitting pedestrians. You didn’t hit any of those 15 pedestrians —end of story.
Curious? It’s criminal, regardless who was at fault for the actual hit.
I thought the bike lane on Amsterdam was supposed to make the avenue safer and help prevent accidents. Guess not so much.
Guess again.
How incredibly sad. Another tragedy on our streets.
I hope DOT will add electronic signage showing
drivers their speed on this stretch of Amsterdam.
Fingers crossed that NYPD solves this hit and run.
It’s time for the NYPD to crack down on aggressive PEDESTRIANS! West End Avenue has been ruined because of the myth that the drivers are at fault. Now the bikers are to blame on the boulevard in Riverside Park. Guess what pedestrians have a responsibility also. Stop stepping off the curb, crossing against the light, walking around oblivious with headphones or staring at your phone. Acting like that doesn’t make you a New Yorker. You’ll never be a real New Yorker but that’s another rant.
Sad and scary.
But in the same way that routine reporting of drivers involved in accidents mentions whether alcohol was found in their system, I believe that routine reporting of pedestrian injuries should include whether the pedestrians were wearing headphones/staring into their phones/etc.
Was standing on Col. Ave recently speaking to a friend, was there for a little over an hour. What amazed me besides maybe a half dozen bikes riding in the bike lane in that time, was the amount of pedestrians that walked by with their face firmly planted in their devices. easily 8 or 9 out of 10…Amazing and pretty sad when you think about it
I happened to know the young man who was involved in this horrible accident, as he’s part of the staff @ Jacob’s Pickles which is like a 2nd home to my wife and I … Luke is a good dude, and it’s sad to hear that this happened to him …Please take a moment to read and donate if you can. Our heart is heavy for Luke and his family at this time
https://www.gofundme.com/lukes-road-to-recovery
I feel bad for the guy, but I really hate gofundme stuff.
If I have extra dollars to give I can think of over 25 charities that I care about. There are countless people out there who have problems paying medical/tuition/rent bills. There is a certain “ballsiness” of this.
If you don’t like it, then don’t donate. Ignore it and move on. You don’t need to nit-pick like this when a man is clinging to life in the hospital. So what if you think it’s chutzpah? If they didn’t need it, they wouldn’t be doing it. Nobody is forcing you to donate. Geez.
Ballsy is a GoFundMe page for a wedding or honeymoon or Hamilton tickets (it happened), not for medical bills. Thanks for sharing the details.
I guess I’m the only one here that doesn’t know anything about this person’s needs that he requires a gofundme campaign.
I don’t know what kind of insurance coverage he has.
i don’t know what his actual medical bills are expected to total.
I don’t know what his family resources are.
I don’t know what his personal resources are.
I don’t know how his needs compare to the needs of others in our neighborhood that have big medical bills.
I don’t know why someone from the UWS deserves my charity more than someone from another neighborhood.
But hey, who cares about knowing things. I think we should all just donate money.
Well let’s pray that something like this doesn’t happen to you or someone you care about, because the first thing I’ll say is, “I feel bad, but my money can be used somewhere else.” The UWS is a community, and he is going to be fighting an uphill battle physically, mentally, and financially … Glad to see the GoFund me doing well so quickly, and that folks aren’t thinking w/ the same mind as you.
I would never ask strangers for money for my problems.
Never.
And I’m pretty sure there are lots of local people who need money for things.
Charity begins at home. This is a local person who works at a local restaurant. If he needs help, you can go to Jacob’s and check out his need and the validity of the page. If it all checks out, then we should help one of our own. It is no different from passing out a collection plate at your house of worship.