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MTA Bus Driver Arrested For Killing Pedestrian In Brooklyn Crosswalk
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 21, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 21, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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The NYPD has arrested an MTA bus driver who fatally struck a 62-year-old pedestrian in a Sheepshead Bay crosswalk last week.
Wayne Alman, 52, is charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, a misdemeanor. Police say Alman was making a left turn onto Avenue Z when he struck and killed Eleanora Shulkina, who was crossing East 17th at around 6 p.m. on December 14th.
At least seven MTA bus drivers have been arrested and charged under the city's Right of Way Law, which was signed by Mayor de Blasio last summer. The law gives police officers—and not just the handful of officers in the Collision Investigation Squad—the power to charge drivers with a misdemeanor if they injure or kill pedestrians and cyclists with the right of way.
In September, after the main union representing MTA bus drivers attempted to dismantle the Right of Way law, the City settled a lawsuit and agreed to clarify it. Alman is at least the second driver to be arrested after the settlement; the first was Paul Roper, who killed 70-year-old Carol Bell in East New York and then drove away from the scene of the crash. Roper was also charged with felony leaving the scene of a collision involving death, and failure to exercise due care.
"If a bus operator’s actions or behavior was not overtly reckless, then his or her arrest is improper," TWU Local 100 president John Samuelsen said in reference to Alman's arrest. "We are still investigating this incident but the union will defend its bus operators."
Tagged
MTA bus drivers
pedestrian fatalities
pedestrian safety
right of way law
vision zero
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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