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Last night, a woman crossed Hylan Boulevard between Fingerboard Road and Linwood Avenue in Grasmere was fatally struck by a speeding car. The police believe the vehicle was a black Mercedes two-door coupe, 2001 or newer, with a damaged front end.
Maria Alvarenga had finished her day's work at the Naomi Nails and Skincare salon and was crossing the street to catch a bus. Pizzeria owner Robert Hansen told the Staten Island Advance, "I heard the boom and one of my co-workers saw something go up in the air."
Alvanrenga was hit so hard that her legs were severed and thrown across the four-lane road. One of her customers said to WABC 7, "I'm sick to my stomach. I'm sick to my stomach now. This girl has a family, she works all day, she's on her way home, going to the bus stop...now her family doesn't have her. I'm sick to my stomach." Alvarenga had three sons and a daughter.
Residents also expressed sadness as well as some resignation about the way drivers conduct themselves. Lou Karce told the Advance,"People fly at like 80 mph from Fingerboard Road to Steuben Street. And at nighttime, forget about it. When I say it's bad, it's bad."
Update: A 19-year-old Brooklyn resident turned himself in for the hit-and-run. NY1 reports Ibraim Qoku surrendered and that he will likely face charges of criminally negligent manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.
Photograph from the Staten Island Advance
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Although a hit & run is not excusable, it should be noted that Ms. Alvarenga was not using the crosswalk.
Good job DBC! Usually the "blame the victim" post shows up in the #3 or 4 spot. Somehow, I don't think the use of a crosswalk would have helped her escape her fate given the description of the impact. My condolences to her children.
dbc - everyone jaywalks in this fucking town, that doesn't excuse absolutely unsafe driving. Doing 80 on anything except a limited access highway is absolutely unacceptable.
I mean seriously now, cut the vic blaming fuckery in this case.
The search is over, the guy turned himself in (see NY1)
Son of a gun, good update moocowtoo.
The guy is 19 years old. He has a long life of guilt ahead of him.
ABC says he was found after an overnight search for the damaged car. Don't give him any credit for "turning himself in."
#2 and #3, please get off your soapboxes. In no way did I state that Ms. Alvanrenga was entirely at fault. Rather, I suggested that Gothamist should note, as The Staten Island Advance did, that the crosswalk (which is used to protect pedestrians) was not used in this case.
Cars, buses and other vehicles are a part of daily life in NYC. Playing the "vehicles are inherently evil" card does nothing to further the discussion concerning making roadways safer for pedestrians and bicyclists alike. The notion of personal responsibility must also enter the discussion.
19 years olds just don't know how to drive. I should know, I use to be one of them.
RIP, Maria. :(
DBC: You take your logic out of this post, Mister.
I don't think anyone is blaming the victim. Clearly what happened to this woman was a senseless tragedy. Nonetheless, tragedies like this could be avoided if people people on all sides followed the proper safety laws. The article in the Advocate clearly points out that she was not using the cross walk, which is specifically there for pedestrians to cross the street. Sure her use of the cross walk would make no difference if the driver was speeding through a red light or stop sign, but the article doesn't mention if that is what happened here. This leaves the reader to infer that she was crossing against the traffic. Accordingly, she bears a certain amount of responsibility for her actions and the outcome.
There is nothing in the article to suggest that the driver was doing 80 mph. That was a comment from a resident in the area complaining about the way in which people speed on this particular road and was not an eyewitness account of the accident.
hmmmmmmmm, the last i heard, a driver's license is required to drive. to get that license, it is my understanding that you are supposed to pass both a written and a driving test to demonstrate one's mental and physical grasp of the rules of the road. as for pedestrians, there are no licenses requires, right?.
as a result, with the "privilege" of driving comes the greater responsibility of heeding the rules of the road. this is not to say that pedestrians can ignore the rules, but car drivers sign agreeements (the driver's license) that subjects them to obey those rules. as a result, they should take greater responsibility for their actions when behind a wheel.
Anyone could get a driver's license. The test should be MUCH harder.
Interesting quotes from the Staten Island Advance:
"The evidence presented to us at this time does not support a charge of criminally negligent homicide," said William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
"Should additional information arise that would support those charges, we would not hesitate to present it to the grand jury."
Usually we read reports of fatal accidents and they often mention that the driver had not been charged, which causes Gothamist readers to go berserk. I'm convinced that they often wait and press charges later, like Smith is saying here.
wait a second...I am assumingthe police know that people like to drive 80 MPH on that road YET they do nothing about it. Typical. They shoudl ahve opened a Dunkin Donuts on that road then there'd be plenty of cops.
And anyone can drive a car. The car does not ask to see your driver's license before you start it up and drive like and asshole in it.
People, her legs were severed and thrown accross the road. That kind of suggests to me that this guy was speeding like a demon. Crosswalk or not, drivers must yield to pedestrians, not saw them in half.
I'm convinced that they often wait and press charges later
I am convinced of the exact opposite. I'm convinced that the authorities would rather avoid the difficult and tedious work of investigating the crime, and that they assume the general public will buy the usual party line of: "it was just an acccident".
yup, drewo! that said, the reality is that there ... is ... no ... such ... thing ... as ... an ... accident! that idea is a car insurance myth. we are not dealing with two tykes driving around plastic big wheel thingies and hitting lamps!
car drivers can take A LOT of precautions to avoid crashes such as not speeding, not driving under the influence, etc. etc. - the list goes on.