Pedestrian Killed by Dump Truck Driver As De Blasio’s Commitment to Vision Zero is Questioned
Another pedestrian has been run down and killed, this time by the driver of a dump truck in Coney Island.
Police said that the driver of a Francis Construction company truck hit a 58-year-old man who was in the crosswalk of Mermaid Avenue and West 21st Street on Saturday morning at around 10 a.m. The dump truck had been heading southbound on the side street, police said.
There were no arrests, cops said. The victim’s identity was not released pending family notification. Francis Construction could not be reached on the weekend, as no one answered its phone.
The death shows anew that the “zero” part of Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero continues to recede like Gatsby’s orgiastic future. Indeed, 2019 is turning out to be an exceptionally bloody year, with 67 people dying on New York City roads this year through May 5, according to police statistics.
The NYPD says that figure represents a 20-percent spike in road deaths. Injuries to people who get around on bikes are up 5 percent, as well. Injuries to pedestrians are down by the same amount.
De Blasio is under fire from activists for his waning commitment to his signature initiative.
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