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Old Man On Crutches Wearing Reflective Vest Killed By Driver On UES
By
John Del Signore
Published May 8, 2012
Modified May 8, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 8, 2012
Modified May 8, 2012
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Earlier this morning we received reports that a pedestrian—possibly a school crossing guard—was likely to die after being hit by a truck on the Upper East Side. Now City Room reports that the victim has died, and it turns out it wasn't a crossing guard, but rather a 75-year-old man who was hobbling around on crutches and wearing a reflective vest. A statement from the NYPD press office describes what investigators believe happened at the intersection of First Avenue and 89th Street:
The traffic light changed from red to green and a truck standing (northbound on 1st Ave) at the traffic light waved the pedestrian to cross. Another vehicle also traveling northbound on First Ave began to move causing the pedestrian to fall back into the path of the truck's rear tire. The operator of the truck believed the pedestrian had completed crossing the street and proceeded to drive, striking the pedestrian.
The accident occurred at 8:20 a.m. According to one witness, the truck that hit him, from Party Rental, "was not going fast, just inching forward, but, unaware that the man had fallen beneath, the driver struck him."
He was pronounced dead at 10 a.m. at NewYork-Presbyterian. The driver was not charged, and an unidentified police sergeant tells City Room, "He stopped, got stuck in the middle of it and the truck driver never saw him." Ah, the old "never saw him" excuse! In other words, that's why they call it an accident.
Tagged
accidents
pedestrians
upper east side
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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