Getting away with M U R D E R

In memoriam 2013.

Streetsblog: Doing its job year after year in New York City.

Each year our friends over at STREETSblog in New York City publish a heart-rending testimonial to the mayhem that automobiles have wrought over the year on their city's streets and the cost in terms of lives lost by innocent pedestrians and cyclists. Putting names, faces and human tragedy to what otherwise takes the form of dry numbers, faceless hence quickly forgettable statistics is an important task. We can only encourage responsible citizens and activists in every city on the planet to do the same thing, holding those public officials (and let's not forget, "public servants") responsible for what goes on under their direct control.

Who is doing this job in your city?

And if there is a single lesson to be learned it is surely this: traffic on the streets of all our cities needs to be slowed down a sane and efficient 10/20/30 mph and no faster; supported a strict "Street Code", whereby in every case the lighter slower party is fully protected both in terms of immediate enforcement, the law and insurance matters. (Is it really that hard to be decent?)

Streetsblog, New York City. Friday, December 27, 2013

In Memoriam

by Brad Aaron

If anyone can put a stop to the suffering and death wrought by reckless New York City motorists, she will be a grieving mother. Time and again in 2013, parents were left to cope with incomprehensible loss at the hands of a driver abetted by a legal system that facilitates, if not condones, his negligence. No fewer than 11 children age 12 and under were lost this year to traffic violence.

Motorists driving on sidewalks killed three children — at least — and inflicted life-altering injuries on others. Twice in 2013 a child walking to school with a slightly older sibling was brutally killed on a neighborhood street by an inattentive man in an oversized truck.

Motorists on sidewalks killed a mother of two and took the leg of a tourist. No charges were filed in either crash. The latter case, a cab driver who admitted to accelerating into a cyclist on a crowded Midtown street in broad daylight, typified the fecklessness of NYPD and city district attorneys — not to mention the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which failed to act against thousands of habitually reckless cab drivers.

Of  128 fatalities reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, we know of only one case this year in which a New York City DA brought a homicide charge for a pedestrian or cyclist death after an “accidental” crash that did not involve alcohol, drugs, or a police chase. Emergency room surgeons decried what they believed was an increase in sidewalk crashes in 2013. On a single day in November, four pedestrians and a cyclist were fatally struck by drivers — more victims than were killed in the Metro-North crash that days later brought city, state, and federal resources to bear in the Bronx. For every traffic death and injury that made headlines, dozens more were overlooked by police, prosecutors, and the press.

In a year of outrages, the biggest shock could be that, in terms of young people dying in traffic, 2013 was not atypical. Of 271 people killed in crashes in 2012, 16 — or 6 percent — were teenagers and children age 17 and under. That percentage was basically unchanged from 2011. Based on what we know so far, 2013 wasn’t much different.

This was the year, however, when mothers and fathers, along with friends and neighbors, said “No more.” Backed by StreetsPAC and Transportation Alternatives, New Yorkers raised the profile of vehicular violence such that city and state politicians ignore it at their peril. As a direct result of their efforts, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio pledged to work toward dramatically reducing injuries and deaths caused by drivers, and Bill Bratton, de Blasio’s pick to succeed the indifferent Ray Kelly, has indicated his NYPD will take Vision Zero seriously. To prove that they’re committed to changing NYC law enforcement’s approach to traffic violence, de Blasio and Bratton need to act on their safe streets agenda immediately in 2014.

Here is our accounting of New York City pedestrians and cyclists known to have lost their lives to motorists in 2013. In the comments, please share remembrances of those named here, and the names and stories of those we missed.



Candida Acosta, Jose Argueta-Pedilla, Ella Kottick Bandes, Kevin Bell

• Candida Acosta, 74, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• Ngozi Agbim, 73, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver [Semi Truck] Cited for Careless Driving (Streetsblog)


• Judge Ali, 72, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (News)


• Marion Anderson, 47, Pedestrian, Killed in Pedestrian; Driver Cited for Failure to Provide Insurance (Advance)


• Lyubov Angert, 82, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; No Known Charges [MTA Bus] (News)


• Jose Argueta-Pedilla, 35, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (News)


• Martha Atwater, 48, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)*


• Walter Ayala, 36, Cyclist, Killed in the Bronx; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Roberto Baez, 75, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Ella Kottick Bandes, 23, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged [MTA Bus] (Streetsblog)

Luis Bravo, Carlos Carlo, Cesar, Felix Coss

• Kevin Bell, 27, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (Two Drivers) (News)


• Thomas Berry, 66, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; “No Criminality Suspected” [Sanitation Vehicle] (Streetsblog)


• Vernon Bramble, 47, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Luis Bravo, 19, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Juliana Busto, 22, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; “No Criminality Suspected” (News, Post)


• Derrick Callendar, 32, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Charged With Murder (Streetsblog)


• Manuel Campoverde, 25, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Carlos Carlo, 65, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Cesar [last name unknown], 34, Cyclist, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)

Amar Diarrassouba, Tenzin Drudak, Kaman Drummond, Maria Dulce-Valencia

• Man Chit Cheng, 59, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)*


• Raj Chohan, 59, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Manslaughter, DWI (Streetsblog)


• Enrique Clemente-Ovando, 29, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (DNA)


• Kenneth Cole, 44, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (DNA)


• Felix Coss, 61, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; No Known Charges [NYPD] (Streetsblog)


• Lillian Cruz, 60, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver [Semi Truck] Cited for Careless Driving (Streetsblog)


• Amar Diarrassouba, 6, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver [Semi Truck] Cited for Careless Driving, Failure to Yield (Streetsblog)


• Rafael Diaz, 73, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Aggravated Unlicensed Operation (DNA)


• John Dozier, 64, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Tenzin Drudak, 16, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)*


• Kaman Drummond, 26, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Murder (Post)

John Eberling, Cheng-Chiu (Corinna) Fang, Lorraine Ferguson, Olvin Jahir Figueroa

• Maria Dulce-Valencia, 27, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• John Eberling, 76, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Manslaughter, DWI (Streetsblog)


• Karin Eberts-Ayub, 53, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Charged With Manslaughter, DWI (DNA)


• Samuel Cohen Eckstein, 12, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Antonio Escanio, 76, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; “No Criminality Suspected” (Two Drivers) (Post)


• Cheng-Chiu (Corinna) Fang, 55, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged [MTA Bus] (Streetsblog)


• Lorraine Ferguson, 48, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Jhonn Carlos Fernandez, 35, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Angel Figueroa, 74, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; One Driver Charged for No License, One Fled Scene (Streetsblog)


• Olvin Jahir Figueroa, 3, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Manslaughter, DWI (Streetsblog)

Angel Figueroa, Kyrillos Gendy, Roxana Gomez, Mir Hoosain

• King Fong, 79, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Rodrigo Galeana, 23, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (News)


• Kyrillos Gendy, 5, Pedestrian, Killed in Staten Island; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene (Streetsblog)


• Irvin Gitlitz, 83, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver [Semi Truck] Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Roxana Gomez, 27, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Charged With DWI (Streetsblog)


• Elba Granizo, 75, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• Gerald Green, 52, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Charges Expected” (Streetsblog)


• Richard Griffin, 85, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Bujar Hasimja, 72, Pedestrian, Killed in Staten Island; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Yulia Hermanska, 27, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Cited for Running Red (Streetsblog)

Nisath Hossain, Shui Jiang, Erik Johnson, Genielle Laboriel

• Mir Hoosain, 35, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• Nisath Hossain, 58, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Stella Huang, 88, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; No Known Charges (T&V)


• Theresa Ilardi, 49, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged (News)


• Javier Ines-Flores, 26, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (News)


• Shui Jiang, 68, Cyclist, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene (Bklyn Paper)


• Erik Johnson, 24, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Taja Johnson, 21, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene, No License, Careless Driving [Livery Cab] (DNA)


• Boris Kiderman, 80, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; “No Criminality Suspected” [MTA Bus] (DNA)


• Sangho Kim, 57, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (WNBC)


• Sook-Ja Kim, 63, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)*

Abigail Lino, Maria Lucaj, Gloria Mabry, Denim McLean

• Sara Kishik, 15, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Genielle Laboriel, 21, Skateboarder, Killed in the Bronx; No Known Charges [School Bus] (Streetsblog)


• Siu Anthony Lee, 55, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Post)


• Meipui Chow Leon, 73, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Cited for Careless Driving, Failure to Yield (DNA, EV Grieve)


• Allison Liao, 3, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Cited for Careless Driving, Failure to Yield (Streetsblog)


• Muang Lin, 41, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)*


• Abigail Lino, 24, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene (Streetsblog)


• Shu Ying Liu, 69, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene (Streetsblog)


• Pedro Lopez, 54, Cyclist, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (DNA)


• Victor Lopez, 49, Cyclist, Killed in Brooklyn; No Known Charges (Two Drivers) (Streetsblog)

Noshat Nahian, Michael Pratt, Andrew Quinn, Antonio Ramirez

• Maria Lucaj, 55, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Gloria Mabry, 74, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; No Known Charges [MTA Bus] (Streetsblog)


• Cheikh Mbaye, 23, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• James McCloskey, 71, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Charged for No License (Streetsblog)*


• Bianca Petillo McCloud, 18, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• Denim McLean, 2, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)*


• Alfonso Melendez, 50, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Hit-and-Run (NY1)


• Lucian Merryweather, 9, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Charged With Assault, Homicide (Streetsblog)*


• Maria Montalvo, 66, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Cited for Careless Driving, Failure to Yield (Streetsblog)


• Michael Munoz, 42, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)*

Marvin Ramirez, Ariel Russo, Lakhranee Sookram

• Noshat Nahian, 8, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver [Semi Truck] Charged With Aggravated Unlicensed Operation (Streetsblog)


• Brian Nowell, 47, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges (Two Drivers) (Streetsblog)


• Ryo Oyamada, 24, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; “No Criminality Suspected” [NYPD] (Streetsblog)


• Michael Pratt, 25, Skateboarder, Killed in Brooklyn; No Known Charges [MTA Bus] (News)


• Andrew Quinn, 22, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Antonio Ramirez, 40, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Marvin Ramirez, 18, Cyclist, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Kalyanarat Ranasinghe, 71, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Olga Rivera, 65, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)*


• Sheila Rivera, 50, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)

Renee Thompson, Zuleimi Torres, Kenneth Yard

• Yunior Rodriguez, 35, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Hit-and-Run (Streetsblog)


• Ethel Rubinstein, 69, Pedestrian; Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Ariel Russo, 4, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Charged With Manslaughter [NYPD Chase] (Streetsblog)*


• Jose Santiago, 43, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; Driver Not Charged (News)


• Lizette Serrano, 60, Pedestrian, Killed in Staten Island; Driver Cited for Failure to Provide Insurance (Advance)


• Kiko Shao, 5, Pedestrian, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Lakhranee Sookram, 67, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Cited for Expired License (News)


• Buddhi Thapa, 42, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged (News)


• Puran Thapa, 7, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Renee Thompson, 16, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver [Semi Truck] Cited for Careless Driving, Failure to Yield, Unregistered Vehicle (Streetsblog)


• Jose Torres, 57, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; No Known Charges (Gothamist)


• Zuleimi Torres, 16, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver “Not Suspected of a Crime” (Streetsblog)


• Manuel Verdesoto, 82, Pedestrian, Killed in the Bronx; Driver Charged for No License (Streetsblog)


• Kenneth Yard, 65, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; No Known Charges [MTA Bus] (Streetsblog)


• Cui Ju Yu, 79, Pedestrian, Killed in Queens; Driver Charged With Leaving Scene (Streetsblog)


• Willie Zachary, 65, Pedestrian, Killed in Manhattan; Driver Charged With Manslaughter, DWI (Streetsblog)


• Gary Zammett Sr., Cyclist, Killed in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Mai Zhang, 74, Cyclist, Killed in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Female Cyclist, Killed January 4 in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged or Summonsed (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 55, Killed January 5 in the Bronx; Driver Charged With Aggravated Unlicensed Operation, Careless Driving (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 82, Killed January 23 in Queens; No Known Charges (Post)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 35, Killed January 30 in Manhattan; “No Charges Expected” [Yellow Cab] (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 67, Killed February 13 in Queens; “No Criminality Suspected” (DNA, Post)


• Unnamed Female Pedestrian, Killed February 24 in Manhattan; Driver Not Charged [Yellow Cab] (Streetsblog)*


• Unnamed Female Pedestrian, Killed April 1 in Brooklyn; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, Killed April 3 in Queens; Driver Not Charged [MTA Bus] (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, Killed April 23 in Queens; No Known Charges (Streetsblog)*


• Unnamed Female Pedestrian, Killed April 30 in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Cyclist, Killed May 19 in Brooklyn; “No Criminality Suspected” (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Female Cyclist, 25, Killed June 7 in Manhattan; Drivers Not Charged [One Yellow Cab] (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 61, Killed July 10 in the Bronx; No Known Charges (DNA, News 12)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 50, Killed August 11 in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Female Pedestrian, Killed September 13 in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 50, Killed September 27 in Queens; No Known Charges (Times Ledger)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, 51, Killed October 4 in Staten Island; Driver Charged With DWI [Off-Duty NYPD] (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, Killed October 28 in Queens; Driver Not Charged (Streetsblog)


• Unnamed Male Pedestrian, Killed November 15 in the Bronx; One Driver Not Charged, One Arrested After Leaving Scene (Gothamist)

* Victim struck on a sidewalk or somewhere other than roadway

* For the full original with Streetsblog reader Comments click here.

Ghost bicycle in memoriam of a lost life (STREETSblog)

# # #

About the author:Streetsblog Deputy Editor Brad Aaron has worked in journalism long enough for his clip file to contain actual tearsheets. As a reporter, editor and publisher, he has written extensively on urban planning, transportation, law, business, education and other topics. Brad began writing for Streetsblog in 2007. He lives in Manhattan.  He can be contacted via brad.streetsblog@gmail.com

From the editor, World Streets:

Look at those faces. Think of those lives so terribly truncated, simply because we are not smart enough or fair enough to do better. But it does not have to be that way.

We know of course the answer to this: (1) Fewer cars on the street, (2) moving far more slowly, (3) far better protection for all others out on the street, and (4) drivers who when at the wheel have the fear of their life of what will happen to them in the event they are the source of incident, injury or death. This coupled with (5) clear and simple laws, (6) that are made widely known, together with (7) draconian enforcement coupled with (8) strict and immediate punishment which is comparable to the offenses committed. And (9) no exceptions or exemptions. (10) Sometimes life is simple.



 

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