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No Charges In Harlem Crash That Killed One Pedestrian, Injured Others
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 3, 2011
Modified Jun 3, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 3, 2011
Modified Jun 3, 2011
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The driver of the truck that spun up onto a Harlem sidewalk into a crowd of pedestrians yesterday has not been charged, and investigators say no criminality is suspected. There are differing accounts of what caused the accident, which killed 89-year-old Leonia White, who was being pushed in her wheelchair near the corner of 145th Street and Seventh Avenue. The collision occurred in the middle of the intersection as a livery cab driver in a Lincoln Town Car attempted to make a left turn onto 145th Street and hit an oncoming pickup truck.
The driver of the Town Car insists he had the right of way, while a cousin of the unidentified pickup driver tells the Post, "He [the truck driver] had the green light, and after the collision he spun around." Witnesses say the truck narrowly missed commuters at a bus stop, but three other pedestrians were also hospitalized. "It was a whole lot of chaos," one local tells the Post, while another describes seeing White dying on the street: "The lady couldn't move. She was lying on her back and there was a lot of blood. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't saying nothing." One of White's neighbors remembers her as "a well-loved person, very strong, very active."
Tagged
accidents
car crash
harlem
pedestrian fatality
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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