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Outraged Brooklyn Bus Drivers Refuse To Leave Depot After "Failure To Yield" Arrest
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 24, 2014
Modified Dec 24, 2014
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RLJR News
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 24, 2014
Modified Dec 24, 2014
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The arrest of a bus driver for fatally running over a pedestrian last night was so unusual that MTA bus operators in Brooklyn refused to leave their depots this morning in protest, the Post reports. According to the tabloid, the drivers were outraged over the arrest of B44 bus operator Reginald Prescott, who was charged with failure to yield after fatally striking 78-year-old Jean Bonne-Annee in East Flatbush.
"They’re angry,” an anonymous source told the Post. "It’s the first time I’ve heard of someone getting arrested for a fatality. Brooklyn was very close to shutting down." The operators eventually agreed to leave the lot, but the source said the union ordered drivers to be "extra cautious."
A spokesman for the transit workers union did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg says the solidarity protest caused some "minor delays" very early in the morning, "but they were fortunately back to full strength by the time our customers needed to ride them during a cold and rainy morning rush."
The failure to yield criminal charge is a relatively new law enforcement tool. In May, the City Council passed NYC Administrative Code Section 19-190, a bill championed by safety advocates. The new code, which went into effect in August, created a criminal (misdemeanor) penalty for drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists with the right of way. For the most part, NYPD investigators have not seemed particularly inclined to use it.
Asked about last night's arrest, Steve Vaccaro, an attorney who advocated for the new law, says, "As this arrest shows, Section 19-190 is a Vision Zero game-changer. Before August 22, a driver who without justification injured or killed a pedestrian with the right of way could not be arrested or charged with a crime—unless drunk, unlicensed, or fled the scene. With 19-190, "criminality should be suspected" after a traffic death like this—suspected, investigated, and, when there is reliable evidence, charged. The only thing missing so far is use of 19-190 by precinct officers, who handle the 90%+ of crashes that aren't fatal."
Bonne-Annee was reportedly in the crosswalk when Prescott, turning left onto New York Avenue from Farragut Road, hit him. A police source tells the Post, "The conditions were poor. It’s a very difficult left turn."
Tagged
b44
brooklyn
bus drivers
MTA
unions
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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