Delivery truck accident
MANHATTAN, NY – According to gothamist.com, a woman was struck and killed by a delivery truck on Manhattan on Friday, February 15, 2019. The victim was identified as 27-year-old Sarah Foster, who lived in Manhattan.
The police responded to the scene at about 5:45 in the morning. Emergency Medical Services pronounced Foster dead at the scene of the crash. The vehicle that hit the victim was a delivery truck. The driver stayed at the scene. Foster was reportedly pulling a small suitcase and walking northbound at 3rd Avenue and East 37th Street when the truck made a left turn onto 37th Street and hit her.
Approved Oil later confirmed that the truck that killed Foster belonged to that company.
Police arrested the driver, Mr. McDermott, 51. McDermott is facing charges for “failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. The charges are both misdemeanors.
According to Ellen McDermott, the interim executive director at Transportation Alternatives, 3rd Avenue is a hazardous spot for pedestrians. The six-lane highway cuts through a “largely residential part of Manhattan,” where there are many pedestrians. Despite the heavy vehicle traffic and concentration of pedestrians, there are no “traffic calming measures” in the area. The area could benefit from safety improvements such as daylighting, pedestrian refuges, and by removing parking along the street to provide better visibility.
While drivers are responsible for driving carefully through heavy pedestrian areas, the best way to improve safety is to design streets that encourage safer driving. Street design can greatly reduce the risk of car crashes and pedestrian accidents without relying on drivers to alter their behavior.
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