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Williamsburg Pedicab Crash: More Details, More Questions
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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Are outdated pedicab laws and a dangerous bridge intersection to blame for yesterday morning's pedicab crash in Williamsburg? More details have been released, and it all began when three twenty-somethings from Bushwick met 42-year-old Nicholas Nicometi after a night of partying in Times Square. The licensed pedicab driver offered them a ride back in the early morning hour, which the passengers said was uneventful one until they hit the Williamsburg Bridge (the intersection of the pedestrian pathway and Bedford Avenue between South 5th and 6th is known for being a dangerous one).
Nicometi seemed to have lost control, starting to speed down the slope of the bridge's pedestrian walkway, eventually flying out onto Bedford and colliding with a cab. One passenger, Stephanie Monfort, told the NY Post, "We were telling him to 'Slow down! Slow down! Stop!' But he just kept going and turned right into upcoming traffic. He hit a cab and we all flew out. It was horrible. I'm lucky I am OK." Monfort's boyfriend has two broken wrists from trying to slow the cab by grabbing the railings lining the bridge's path, according to the NY Times. A third passenger, Jessica Mageik, suffered no injuries, and Monfort updated her Facebook profile early this morning, saying, "back from the hospital. everything is ok. in a lot of pain, going to sleep now." The driver was in serious condition as of last night, one witness telling the paper, "He hit his head pretty bad. The whole front wheel was just embedded in his face.”
The Williamsburg Bridge's pedestrian pathway is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, but the Post points out that "while city rules say pedicabs have to stick to the streets, state laws that allow them on bridges are currently in effect." The city is in the process of drafting new rules, but until then, the law cannot be enforced.
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accident
brooklyn
pedicab
williamsburg
williamsburg bridge
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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