October 4, 2008
Two Women Fatally Struck by Taxis on 14th Street
Two women, both age 26, were killed overnight when they were struck by two taxis in the East Village. Police say the pair were crossing East 14th Street at 1st Avenue around 3 a.m. when they were first hit by a taxi heading westbound that knocked them into the path of the second cab which then ran into them on the eastbound side of the street. One woman died at the scene while the other passed away hours later at Beth Israel hospital.
While their identities have not been released, police say that the two women knew each other and that one hailed from Albany, while the other was from the UK. No charges have been filed against either taxi, but a probe is underway. The accident took place just a block from where a 25-year-old female NYU grad student was killed in a hit and run by a drunk driver two years ago. The area around both accidents is home to a large portion of NYU's student housing.
[UPDATE: The identities of the victims have been revealed as Ann Sullivan (of Albany) and Stephanie Dees (of the UK).]
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Taxis and cars alike treat Manhattan streets especially at that hour like the New York State Thruway.
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These taxis (among other cars) will never get that this is a pedestrian city first and foremost.
This isn't LA!
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um go back to kansas the taxis have always been there, so i guess if the city became the city with them, it is not just a pedestrian city, whatever that means, you like made that phrase up.
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No comment until a toxicology report is released.
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That's awful. Driving a taxi is a stressful job - but that's no excuse for driving aggressively. Many a time have I been walking across the street when a taxi sped up or turned the corner to 'near miss' me, with a contemptous look on the driver's face.
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Maybe they were drunk and stumbled into traffic?
I've seen it happen, especially that area.
Sad story though.
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We don't know all the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, but anyone who spends any time walking around Manhattan will routinely see taxi cab drivers, and other vehicle operators, speeding to get from light to light. There's rarely any traffic enforcement when it comes to excessive speeds, or red light "jumping".
And drivers know that they will rarely be held responsible for incidents involving pedestrians; in our auto-centric society, we seem to be eager to lay blame on everyone else besides the drivers -- as if the streets should be the sole provenance of automobiles and their occupants, and pedestrian beware.
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#3 another hipster douchebag ehh? I've never been to Kansas as I was raised in New York and been living here since I was 9.
Just because I am a New Yorker does not mean I don't find cabs (among other cars) annoying when they think that Manhattan streets are highways.
Maybe it's you that needs to go back Kansas.
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that's what happened to me, one driver trying to make it before red and another driver trying to anticipate the green. only I was hit with a flying bumper.
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I smell alcohol...
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ITA #7. It makes me crazy that drivers are allowed to routinely drive aggressively and create a danger without any consequences.
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Chances are they were drunk at that time.
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My office has been on that corner for years. The intersection sucks, as the delayed walk/left turn signals in the crosstown direction / uptown side of the intersection are a nightmare. I never cross there, will go a block away to avoid it.
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Over the years several out-of-towners, particularly girls for some reason, get killed by vehicles around 3 or 4 a.m. (i.e. 'closing time')always between Houston and 14th.
Don't blame the hard-working taxi driver. Blame some drunken out-of-towners or NYUers who think that Downtown is Party Central and think they rule the road: Self-entitled yunnies in an alcoholic cloud who narcissistically expect traffic to full-brake for them.
I see it all the time down there at midnight. Too many drunks from too many bars. SLA: wake up before more die.
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But we don't know all THE FACTS yet.
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That;s right, we don't know all the facts, so let's just blame the victims.
Jeez, you guys. Two women are dead and two cab drivers have had horrible experiences. Why don't we take a deep breath and wait to judge?
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Either the girls were drunk and stupid (where they even in the cross walk? did they even have the light?) or the cab was wreckless (was he speeding? did he have the light?)
Till then I say go back to carolina
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i actually just heard about this on 1010 wins - they were friends, and entirely had the right of way - the 1010 wins people were interviewing witnesses from neighboring shops & restaurants. both cabs were in the wrong. they did release the names recently as well. so sad.
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I was at the scene of this accident last night. Horrific.
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Seems unlikely they had the right of way if they were hit by two separate cars going in opposite directions. That would mean both cab drivers were running the same red light in opposite directions. Doubtful.
Look both ways people.
Tragic nonetheless.
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Is it just me, or do a majority of stories about pedestrians and cyclists getting hit by busses and taxis end in the phrase, "The driver was not charged in this incident?
This IS a pedestrian city and hopefully will develop into a more bicycle friendly city. I support much stricter laws for busses and cabs when pedestrians are hit. At the very least, they should have their license revoked for an appropriate period of time.
Their needs to be something else done to keep people safe on our streets.
The onus is on the driver to pay attention to pedestrians, even when the pedestrian breaks the law by crossing against the light or is out of the crosswalk.
By the way, I am from Kansas, where it is much more dangerous to be a pedestrian. All large cities in Kansas are planned to the drivers advantage. One of the reasons I love New York and have lived here for 10 years, is the freedom of life in a pedestrian city.
The pesestrian does have a responsibility to pay attention at all time. I make a point of looking drivers in the eye as I cross the street to make sure they see me. I don't trust any of them.
I ask that Mayor Bloomberg and the city govenment take a good look at this problem and make some changes. There are too many ghost bikes and too many stories of avoidable death and injury on the streets of New York.
n
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Whether the girls were drunk or not is irrelevant. unless they sprinted into traffic those drivers should have had plenty of time to break, unless of course they were disobeying the posted SPEED limit and possibly traffic lights. Being drunk and on your FEET is not a crime and certainly doesn't mean it's OK to be killed and like you worthless fucks have lived a saintly life of sobriety.
also if you blow a red light in new york city you should lose your license as you're clearly not responsible enough for the privilege of driving.
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When was the last time anyone saw a cop giving a ticket to a cabbie or black car driver? They think the traffic regs doesn't apply to them. More writing, less shooting.
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Being drunk and on your FEET is not a crime
Yes it is: Public intoxication.
Again, it seems highly unlikely that these drivers both ran a red light at the same time. Did this even happen at the intersection?
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I would love to know how many people on this comment board have actually...
DRIVEN, TAKEN MASS TRANSIT, BIKED and WALKED
all in Manhattan.
Every time something like this happens its always Drivers Vs Walkers, Drivers Vs Bikers, Bikers Vs Drivers or Walkers Vs Bikers.
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These filthy fuckin hacks-they drive like goddamn animals to catch a fare. At that hour they are all counting their money to see if they finally go home for the night. Those that need a few more fares are ready to kill for a few bucks.
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These cabbies are asking for some serious traffic calming devices. I don't care how blitzed those two unfortunate ladies were, if you drive, you pay attention, and if you drive down 14th late night, you expect anything to happen. Idiots.
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thearidginality:
Your mom's fat.
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nycnewsjunkie: i can go one better: i've done all those AND driven a cab.
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"These cabbies are asking for some serious traffic calming devices. I don't care how blitzed those two unfortunate ladies were, if you drive, you pay attention, and if you drive down 14th late night, you expect anything to happen. Idiots."
Seriously. Any cabbie who's been driving in NYC for more than a week should know perfectly well that if you're driving around that area at 3am on a weekend, there are going to be drunk people walking all over the place and some of them will probably wind up walking into the street at inopportune times. The onus should be on the driver to take that into account.