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Three People Killed In Hit-And-Runs As Traffic Deaths Continue To Rise
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 9, 2021
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Courtesy of Zohran Mamdani
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 9, 2021
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Three people were killed in separate hit-and-run incidents this week, as New York City continues to grapple with a growing number of traffic deaths.
In the East Village, a driver struck 24-year-old Borkot Ullah as he was crossing Houston Street on an e-bike shortly after 11 p.m on Thursday. The motorist did not stop, and Ullah was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Less than two hours later, a 67-year-old woman was struck in Middle Village, Queens by a sedan driver. The victim, Caroline Connors, was then hit a second time by an MTA bus driver, police said. Both drivers continued without stopping.
On Wednesday night, another pedestrian — whose name has not been released by police — was found dead in the roadway in Rockaway Parkway and Lenox Road in East Flatbush. Police believe he was struck by a driver in a white BMW, who fled the scene.
No arrests have been made in any of the cases.
READ MORE: NYC’s Streets Got Deadlier In 2020
The deadly incidents come amid a spike in fatalities on New York City streets. At least 131 people have died in crashes so far this year, the highest total to-date since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in 2014.
City officials have attributed the growing death toll to a nationwide increase in reckless drivers, who took advantage of empty streets at the height of the pandemic, and have kept up the deadly habit.
An increase in hit-and-run incidents, however, dates back to before the pandemic. According to Transportation Alternatives, there were 36,000 hit-and-run incidents in 2013, compared to an average of 45,000 in the last three years.
READ MORE: Most Hit & Run Drivers Are Getting Away With Murder In NYC, New Data Shows
Police data shows that drivers are arrested in less than 1% of those cases. The rate is higher in crashes that cause death or serious injury, but well below 50%, according to the NYPD's most recent data. In the first three months of this year, there were 23 hit-and-run crashes that caused critical injuries, leading to a total of seven arrests.
Daniel Flanzig, an attorney who frequently represents cyclists and pedestrians, accused the department of routinely letting drivers off the hook.
"It sends a message to the person who did it that, 'Hey, I just got away with it, I'll get away with it again,'" Flanzig said. "There are victims who want justice, and without a proper investigation that's being stolen from them."
Inquiries to the NYPD and the Mayor's Office were not returned.
Tagged
cyclist death
pedestrian death
new york city
manhattan
brooklyn
vision zero
queens
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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