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After 3 fatal crashes in 4 hours, advocates push for street safety law in final NY budget
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 6, 2023
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 6, 2023
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Three New Yorkers – including one cyclist and two pedestrians – were killed in separate collisions within four hours on Wednesday. The back-to-back-to-back fatalities prompted some street safety advocates to call on lawmakers to take action.
The first crash happened in Borough Park, Brooklyn, at the intersection of 50th Street and 13th Avenue at 7:10 p.m., police said. The driver of a Honda minivan crashed into the driver’s side of a Toyota minivan at the intersection, sending it careening into the sidewalk, where it hit 23-year-old Chaim Blum, who was standing on the southeast corner.
Blum was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No charges were immediately filed.
Just 16 minutes later, 62-year-old Oscar Nieves was crossing the street on E 122nd Street and 3rd Avenue when he was struck by the driver of a gray SUV just steps from his home in Harlem. The driver of the SUV didn’t stop, and no arrests have been made.
Nieves was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Later that evening at around 11:22 p.m, the driver of a white pickup truck ran a red light at the intersection of Williamsbridge Road and Pierce Avenue in the Bronx, where 64-year-old Pan Hua was riding an e-bike. The driver hit Hua, sending him flying onto the roadway, where he hit his head. The driver didn’t stop and no arrests have been made.
Hua was taken to Jacobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The NYPD described the vehicles involved in the later two incidents as traveling at “high rates of speed.”
On Thursday, streets safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives urged state lawmakers in Albany to give New York City the power to set its own speed limits, which are currently controlled by a state law that mandates most roads not be set below 25 miles-per-hour, or 15 miles-per-hour in school zones.
With the state budget still in limbo, Transportation Alternatives said the string of fatal accidents means lawmakers should use the borrowed time to ensure that legislation known as “Sammy’s Law” makes it into the final agreement.
Executive Director Danny Harris said the group continues to endorse the legislation, introduced in 2020 by state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, which would permit the city to lower its speed limits.
“This crisis demands action from our leaders now. We know what works to prevent crashes and save lives in New York City. Yet, the State Assembly is blocking New York City from using life saving tools, like reducing speed limits, to keep New Yorkers safe. Now is not the time for politics: We need to pass Sammy’s Law and get Vision Zero back on track in New York City,” said TA Executive Director Danny Harris, mentioning former Mayor Bill de Blasio's traffic safety initiative. “Every day, every hour counts. Albany must act now to save lives across the five boroughs.”
Transportation Alternatives has tallied 54 New Yorkers who have died this year due to traffic violence, with nearly two-thirds of those being pedestrians or bicyclists.
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Catalina Gonella
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