Jaywalker Struck By NYPD Van

You know the NY Post was just waiting for a jaywalker to be struck by a vehicle so they could be all "told you so," after printing numerous anti-jaywalking editorials this week.

Today the paper reports, like clockwork, on a pedestrian "sprinting against a traffic light into a Chelsea intersection" being hit by an NYPD van. Let this be a lesson to us all!

They say "the unidentified victim, 23, bolted off the southwest corner of Tenth Avenue and West 23rd Street at 12:30 a.m. directly into the path of a Manhattan South Task Force vehicle driven by an eight-year NYPD veteran."

The man is at St. Vincent's in stable condition, and the paper notes that "the city's jaywalking epidemic out of control." But what about those rude drivers?

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i jaywalk all the time, and i wont complain (aside from the pain, assuming i survive) when i get hit. those are the breaks, watch your ass.

Did they give the guy a ticket? That would be so like them.

so was he texting, chatting, iPoding, or just plain old terrible at walking?

Deaf and blind maybe? The Post's campaign against jaywalking is so stupid.

it's every true new yorker's "god" given right to jaywalk, and suffer the potential consequences, on their own dime.

fuck, i cant deal with the ny post anymore. it was mildly entertaining in the morning on the way to work but i cant deal with andrea peysers bullshit anymore. id rather shell out $2 for an nytimes than read their slanted version of the news.

so was he texting, chatting, iPoding, or just plain old terrible at driving?

jlocke translation:
as a pedestrian i hold the right to "bolt" out in front of any moving vehicle and not be held responsible for my actions or well-being.

A funny story about not-really-jaywalking:

I was crossing one of the intersections in the lower 30s where Broadway slices through. I had the walk light when some guy comes speeding down Broadway and starts making the turn without even touching the brakes. I only avoided becoming roadkill because I saw him coming and jumped back on the curb. Once the guy had stopped, I decided to take my sweet time strolling across the intersection in front of him. He reacted by hitting me - slowly - with his car. I kicked the bumper and gave him the finger. He started acting like he was going to run me over when from behind him came the most blissful sound:

An NYPD van with a loudspeaker, right behind psycho right turner. "What the FUCK do you think you're doing? She has the right of way!" Then as I gave the dude the double bird: "That's right, flip him the bird!"

I guess my point is jaywalking's not really a whole lot more dangerous than crossing with the light. Assholes who shouldn't have driver's licenses can kill you either way.

He was probably distracted by your natural assets.

Everything about your story makes me happy.

I was "love-tapped" (as my 80 year old native NYer gay great-uncle calls it) by a cab making a left turn when my friend and I were crossing with the right of way. And in the next instant, I had my very best instinctual gut reaction ever -- I slammed one of my fists on the dude's hood and hollered, "Fuck you! I'm walkin' here!"

We walked probably another two blocks before my friend turned to me with a stunned look on his face and said, "Jesus, I almost hope you planned that, because otherwise, you're strange."

Yep, great story! Is it me or are these cab drivers (mostly cab drivers, but some non-cab drivers, too) pushing the limit even more these days with their bumpers? On any given day, I swear I almost get the "love tap" from at LEAST a dozen cabs. They just love to inch right up there, which in turn, makes me walk slower. "OK, FUCKER, hit me!! Go ahead!" It would be so easy to just pull a fast one and bump into them. Hopefully, I would not shatter both legs from hip to toe in the process. How much pay off would I get for this? Just wondering. :)

The problem with this story, and cops in this city in general, is that at no point do you mention this driver being pulled over, hauled out of the car, and arrested for assaulting you with a deadly weapon. Apparently cops can't be fucked to do their actual jobs.

is "jaywalking" the catch all term for crossing against the light and not crossing at a crosswalk?
so it's not just Cross at the Green not In Between?

Take it from someone who actually got a jaywalking ticket in Queens for "crossing outside the crosswalk," jaywalking includes crossing outside the crosswalk as well as crossing against the light.

Chelsea? He was probably gaywalking and he probably deserved it.

user-pic

NY Post is desperate for readers, so they'll do anything to bring attention to their newspaper.

he deserved it.
pedestrians have the right of way b/c they can't defend themselves against an object made of steel.

i feel though that pedestrians only have the right of way if it's your light.
if the walksign says walk, fine with me, do your thing.
but if it's a full on red on the walksign and i have my light to go and you're moving at a tortoise's pace, don't go f'ing glare at me when i try to run you over. you know you should be out of the crosswalk by then.

oh wells.
we can all wish for considerate pedestrians and patient drivers.
but that's like asking for world peace.

ain't gonna happen.

WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING? THE CITY'S JAYWALKING PRBLM IS OUT OF CONTROL???? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! THERE IS NOT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN THIS CITY WHERE YOU CAN CROSS ON THE GREEN WITHOUT BEING RUN DOWN BY CRAZY TAXIS AND ANGRY SPEED DEMONS FROM JERSEY. TO BLAME PEDESTRIANS FOR THIS IS SHAMEFUL SHAMEFUL SHAMEFUL

SORRY FOR THE CAPS LOCK BUT DAMN BITCHES! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING MEEEEEE

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