Traffic Justice
Streetsblog Basics
Slap on the Wrist for Staten Island Pedestrian Killer
Joseph Catrama, the 19-year-old driver whose out-of-control Hyundai struck and killed Nathan Pakow at a Staten Island bus stop last February, will serve no more than six months in jail.
February 3, 2010
Miami DWI Death Galvanizes Cyclists in South Florida
The horrific death of a 44-year-old resident of South Miami has enraged cyclists across South Florida, igniting a debate over street safety in a region historically dominated by devil-may-care drivers.
January 28, 2010
Killer DWI Cop’s Defense: Victim Shouldn’t Have Been Drinking and Walking
The lawyer representing Andrew Kelly, the off-duty NYPD officer who last September killed pedestrian Vionique Valnord, then refused to submit to alcohol tests, has indicated that his line of defense will go something like this: The victim precipitated her own death by drinking at a wedding before my client ran her down on a Brooklyn street.
January 20, 2010
One Month After Fatal Bike Crash, NYPD Hasn’t Answered Key Questions
On December 13, Solange Raulston was struck and killed by a truck driver as she was biking on Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. One month later, scarcely any details about the collision are available. The NYPD has shielded records of the investigation from public scrutiny, and attempts to learn precisely how this deadly crash happened, determine culpability, and glean lessons to prevent future deaths have so far been thwarted.
January 14, 2010
Bill to Protect Pedestrians and Cyclists Will Resurface in Albany
Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, speaking, with Daniel Squadron and Scott Stringer at last year’s rally for Hayley and Diego’s Law. To Squadron’s right are Wendy Cheung, Hayley Ng’s aunt, and Jon Adler, representative for the families of Ng and Diego Martinez. With the state legislative session underway, Albany will soon turn its attention to business … Continued
January 13, 2010
DA Offers Plea to Road Rager Gonzalez
At a hearing in criminal court on Monday, Manhattan prosecutors offered a plea deal to Gus Gonzalez, the driver who assaulted cyclist Ray Bengen in the Ninth Avenue bike lane last May.
January 13, 2010
Vance “Reviewing” Safir Hit-and-Run, Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is looking into last Friday's Upper East Side hit-and-run involving former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir and pedestrian Joanne Valarezo, as well as two recent incidents in which a pedestrian and cyclist were killed.
January 11, 2010
NYPD on Fatal Delancey Street Crash: “Looks Like It Was Just an Accident”
The police department confirmed this morning that no criminal charges have been filed against the bus driver who struck and killed a woman riding a bike on Delancey Street Tuesday afternoon. (The police have not released the identity of the victim, since the family hasn't been notified yet.)
January 7, 2010
Remembering Cyclists and Pedestrians Lost in 2009
Just a few hours into the new year, New York recorded its first pedestrian fatality of 2010. At around 6:45 p.m. on Friday, January 1, an unidentified 50-year-old man was struck and killed in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The driver, a livery cab operator behind the wheel of a minivan, was charged with DWI and manslaughter.
January 4, 2010