Nun Gets Killed By Truck In Chelsea

The driver should definitely be held responsible. They paid him to operate the heavy machinery. Besides don't you need a commerical license to drive that tank around?

Seems that in this case, though, the nun did have the right of way since the truck was making a right turn into her. A good argument for no right on red in the city and a clear account of responsibility for the driver. Once you're about a quarter of the way across a street, your back is to cars turning right from traffic traveling in your direction. How careful must pedestrians realistically be of this? Turning cars should always yield to people walking in 'wall'-lit crosswalks and blinking ones.

I didn't know nuns could retire....must've missed something in K-8 at St. John's...

Jim, I didn't mean I preferred cars on the streets, but merely that this is the way the city and state interpret it. Trust me, if it were up to me there would be way fewer cars and way more bikes and pedestrians. I just wanted to point out that pedestrians become liable when they step out into the street, out of crosswalks.

i got hit by a yellow taxi earlier on the corner of 42nd and 7th Ave. The pedestrian light was green, I was on the crosswalk and was literally feet away from the other side when the cab swung around the corner and hit me. I fell to the ground and thank God the cab didn't run me over. I - thankfully again - escaped with only a bruise on my arm. Seven cops came to the scene (yes, seven!) and they suggested that I check into the emergency room just in case which I did.

I called up the precinct the next day to pick up my police report as i was told if i wanted to file a complaint (which i did!) but was told the report had not been filed and was told to try again. I did, for two weeks, and still no report. I didn't have the officer's name (nope, not any seven of them -- i was too shocked to remember to ask) and was told to check with the hospitals' ER records. Which meant waiting outside the records office between 9-4 p.m. and there was no guarantee how long this would take (as someone at the hospital told me). I work in the day and didn't have time to be placed on the hold or wait for a report so I just decided to screw it, I'll just be thankful I'm alive and escaped with a scratch.

Am I going to regret not pursuing this?

(sorry for the length of this post)

Hey, ihatetosayit, you say "the streets are made for cars". Well, there were streets long before there were cars, though the cars sure have taken over, and now it's pretty hard to imagine that status quo changing, unfortunately.

You also say "Pedestrians DO NOT always have the right of way". You're right! http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/peds-vt.htm (I had to look it up.)

It sure would be nice to have fewer cars in NYC, though. Quieter, cooler, fewer horns, alarms, and safer.

Yes, it's true that motorists kill more pedestrians than vice versa and therefore the onus of safety is on the guy behind a ton of steel and fiberglass. But here's my theory on the subject and I know it won't be a popular one among NYers: Pedestrians make NYC dangerous for pedestrians. I.e., by constantly breaking the rules against street-crossing, peds tie up traffic, frustrating drivers, who then floor it at intersections to make it thru.

It's about mutual respect, people. Don't want cars running red lights? Then don't cross the street against the light either. And whatever you do, don't stroll across when cars are waiting with the right of way. That's just asking for trouble.

In the last two years, within a 5 block radius from my house, there has been 4 auto accidents and 2 of which had a pedestrian killed. After that, I am **Really** carefull about crossing a street or standing on a corner...

As for Criminal Prosecution: What would the charge be? Murder One or Manslaughter? I'd think Manslaughter, myself, but was it all depends on the circumstances, doesn't it?

Pedestrians DO NOT always have the right of way. In fact, most cases involving pedestrians hit by cars are blamed by the police on the person walking, not the driver. The streets are for cars (regrettably) and not for walking. As an avid jaywalker, I am constantly aware of this. Generally, exceptions to this pedestrian right of way issue occur if a motorist is driving intoxicated or if they flee the scene of the crime.

"I'm not sure if pedestrians are always right"

Of course, of course. And I certainly didn't mean "militant" as in "crossing the street on a red line while yakking into a cellphone and stopping to pick up the nickel I dropped" militant. I only meant militant as in "the little white man in the sign is walking, which means the road is mine, bee-otch" militant.

I'm not sure if pedestrians are always right (ever seen people who take their sweet ass time crossing streets cause they are talking on their cellphones, etc., or others who just dart out into the middle of the street without any warnings?), but safety should always be the #1 priority for motorists. Safety for other motorists and themselves, and the pedestrians.

I think until the auto industry come out with computer driven vehicles, the safety of people on the street will be always be threatened by unskilled motorists.

I'm a militant pedestrian, clinging steadfastly to my theoritical right of way. Not to the point of actively jumping in front of cars, but everything short of that. This is a pedestrian's town, first and foremost.

I'm appalled that there will be no criminal prosecution in this incident. Just because it's an "accident" doesn't mean that there isn't wrong-doing worthy of prosecution. A few high-profile, play-in-the-tabloids, time-behind-bars for such violent, reckless drivers might serve as a tipping point for these hooligans behind wheels.

I must say this: it's the responsibility of the drivers of vehicles to be the most careful, because pedestrians always have the right of way.

Before anyone claims that "well, maybe you shouldn't be in the street when you're not supposed to be"... remember that, in the car insurance and blame assignment world, it's true that if you rear-end someone, no matter what the circumstances, it's pretty much always your fault. Same goes with cars striking pedestrians - all drivers should take great care when proceeding near pedestrians.

Of course, pedestrians shouldn't take stupid chances either, as had already been said. But which of us hasn't caught themselves in the middle of a crosswalk facing oncoming traffic, thinking we were clear to cross when we left the curb? Mistakes happen.

I don't like the sound of this accident. Seems like this guy really plowed the old lady and never looked back. It doesn't sound malicious, but it looks like the truck driver was in too much of a rush to go somewhere.

It's not a normal intersection, either... I think the signals have right/left turn breaks in between the normal green/red light cycles. I cross this intersection more than a few times a week. It's not particularly hairy, but if someone's in a rush to go somewhere and is making a fast turn onto Sixth Ave, that's really dangerous...

It's definitely a dangerous intersection, but given that there's always a ridiculous number of pedestrians at that corner, you would *hope* people driving would realize a little more caution is necessary.

i am particularly wary of crossing on the side that cars turn onto. but no matter what side of the street, i definitely wait for the light more often.

a few years ago i was walking to work and saw a white sheet covering the body of a girl who had been hit by a truck in a crosswalk. ever since then i take my time - because it only really costs me two minutes tops to wait for the next light.