February 1, 2008
While Crossing Delancey, Woman Fatally Struck by SUV
Late Wednesday night, an 82-year-old woman crossing Delancey Street at Allen was fatally hit by an SUV driver. The driver, who was traveling west on Delancey, stayed on the scene was not charged with a crime.
The Daily News says the woman, Josephine LaPlaca, was known as the "Queen of Delancey Street," because, as one person put it, "She knew everybody and everything about the neighborhood. It's going to be weird without her." Relatives said LaPlaca had lived in the neighborhood since she was 11 years old. Her niece said, "We used to tell her to come live in Queens, and she'd tell us, 'No. I'm going to die in New York.' It's a shame to live to 83 to get hit by a car and die."
Delancey Street and its intersections are very dangerous, given the cars that are speeding to and from the Williamsburg Bridge. Last year, blogger John Carney was clipped by a car on Allen Street and Delancey; he suffered a severely broken leg. And if you look at Transportation Alternatives' CrashStat map (pictured), you can see that there are many injuries and fatalities along Delancey.
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There's always old men and women just crossing the street without paying attention to the lights around Chinatown. Driving around there is like playing Frogger. They think the driver will stop just because they're old. Accidents like this happen all the time.
Drivers are crazy. A lot of them lose their humanity when they get behind the wheel. Poor Lady.
Not yielding to pedestrians should be a crime. Oh wait, it is - one we just don't punish anyone for.
There's always automobiles driving along the street without paying attention to the pedestrians around Chinatown. Walking around there is like playing Frogger. They expect the pedestrian will stop just because the cars are large, fast and intimidating. Accidents like this happen all the time.
And the City of New York just doesn't care.
Agree with the poor old lady comment, though I doubt that the driver deliberately ran her down or was happy about the whole thing.
There aren't many details as to what happened, but it sounds like she wasn't crossing at the crosswalk, and at 11 at night, she might not have been easy to see. Drivers should be careful not to hit pedestrians, but pedestrians should also exercise care.
At about this time on Wednesday (it affected me a little earlier), there were signal problems affecting both the F and J lines that stop at Delancey/Essex. I wonder whether that might've resulted in people walking around who normally would've been on the train.
She had to be crossing at the crosswalk, it's next to impossible not to on that block. In the center median, there's a 3 foot high barrier with a grate on top that the subway runs under. She was probably crossing against the light.
Poor woman, I used to see her all of the time at that pizzeria. She was always saying hi to my dog.
I bet even the dead woman would see the humor in that title. Oh Gothamist - you cad!
I'm pretty sure they did not intend to run her down. They probably did not even see her, and I'm also pretty sure this is the case for most of the pedestrian deaths. However, I see drivers trying to shave the corners or slide in-between groups of people crossing with the light everyday. I look at these drivers and they often look really aggressive. If I'm crossing with the light, and I happen to get in their way they act like I ran out into traffic. Sometimes they curse me. Sometimes they are really ready to brawl over me crossing WITH the light. I think it's from an entire day of battling the insane traffic, getting expensive tickets, not being able to find parking, and also the sickening behavior of all of the other tunnel visioned pissed of drivers.
I wish the NYPD would actively pursue catching speeders as well. People routinely do 50+mph on my avenue.
Is this the woman that always hangs around in Rocket Joe's?
Is this the woman that always hangs around in Rocket Joe's?
Is this the woman that always hangs around in Rocket Joe's?
Agreed, the police do a terrible job with traffic enforcement. They are good at the easy things, like writing parking tickets or giving out no-seat-belt tickets, but do nothing about speeding, reckless driving, block the box and other driving violations that happen all the time.
Ralph, thanks for the details on the area. Article doesn't specify.
it is the lady from Rocket Joe's. What a drag. One time I saw a big dude tell her to get out of his face when she was trying to talk to him.
I wish the NYPD would actively pursue catching speeders as well. People routinely do 50+mph on my avenue.
You're asking too much of the NYBFD. They spend their days inside an automobile, so their world view is from the inside, looking out. The cops need to get out of their cars, and return to the beat - walking and knowing the neighborhood streets, just as Josephine LaPlaca did for decades.
I would truly love it if my block had beat cops. Especially if they were from the neighborhood, or lived in the neighborhood.
Since she lived there since she was 11, there's a good chance she never drove. I find that people who have never driven a car do not quite understand the limitations of those driving one. For example, drivers aren't always paying attention, and they can't stop on a dime.
It's really unfortunate the Queen of Delancey Street's life ended so tragically. I'm pretty sure the person who ended it feels pretty badly about it.
dang
Intersections like Allen + Delancey suffer from people driving too fast, poorly-timed lights, too much traffic, poor lighting, and inability to see oncoming traffic (from a pedestrian's point of view). Chrystie + Delancey is also a bad one, I almost got killed by an SUV there. You can't see traffic coming until you're in the middle of the road.
You have to walk very quickly to make it across both sections of Delancey in one light. I wish a pedestrian walkway over the street could be built.
That is really sad - I used to always see her at Rocket Joe's too.
And yes, those lights at the intersection are very badly timed. Even if you are young and spry, you really have to hustle to make it all the way across.
Sad to say that I knew this would happen.
I can't believe how short the crosswalk lights are on Delancey.
I cross that street often -- there are 8 lanes of traffic and I can only ever make it halfway across (and I'm not a slow mover) before the crosswalk light starts flashing red. If I can barely make it across in time, then imagine what it's like for an elderly or disabled person.