Woman In Critical Condition After Being Struck By Parking Car In Midtown

The scene of the accident. Tuan Nguyen / DNA Info

A woman remains in critical condition after a car that was attempting to back into a Midtown parking space, jumped the curb onto the sidewalk and pinned her against a building. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. in front of the Seasonal Restaurant and Weinbar, at 130 West 58th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

The driver, Albert Thompson, told DNAinfo that he couldn't comment on why his Toyota Avalon ended up on the sidewalk because of the ongoing police investigation. A witness told the news outlet that "Blood was all over [the victim's] body…It seemed that her head banged on the glass." We've been told by the NYPD that no charges have been filed in the incident, and will post an update if this changes.

Three other incidences of cars plowing into pedestrians have occurred just this month. A police van struck and killed a man on the sidewalk as it attempted to park in Chinatown, an SUV killed one woman and injured another on West 98th street backing into a space, and a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor was injured in Queens after a minivan backed into her.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Christopher Robbins in News on July 19, 2011 3:37 PM

Comments [rss]

Tenzo

Honestly there is no justification for backing that far up onto the curve, well at least he didn't run away. Suspend his license for 5 years, give him 500 hours of community service, make him pay for her medical care. That ought to teach him to be more careful with the gas pedal next time.

jenon

I feel bad for this lady but I LOVE this restaurant. Just go in, point randomly at the menu, and wait for bliss to arrive. The cocktails are fabulous as well.

mattbrooklyn

PHEW!

It's a good thing that the woman who got crushed wasn't riding a bicycle. Otherwise, the NYPD would have charged her for riding on the sidewalk.

splicernyc

Good heavens! A Toyota! How gauche.

Peanut_Butter

At least it wasn't an Asian driver. That would have made it both gauche and cliched (on at least 2 levels).

Tenzo

One time a dog leaped out into the street and the man stopped the vehicle just in time. I nearly had a fucking heart attack. Not because of the dog but because a Korean SUV driver ACTUALLY STOPPED AND OBSERVED THE PEDESTRIAN LAW. I thought the world was going to end at that exact moment.

Knowing these Korean drivers here (Always wondered why the ones in South Korea don't drive so shitty like this???) it had to be the grace of God that the puppy lived.

banksy

what the fuck kind of driver do you have to be to end up parking like that?

Gwinny

a crappy one (like so many in the city)

Guest

And Bloomberg hasn't gone out of his way to ban guns, I mean cars, yet?

nicemarmot

Lemme guess, no charges filed.

jaycjay

"Lemme guess, no charges filed."

Really, too soon for charges to have been filed.

In a minor accident, the responding precinct cops will write up the report immediately and issue whatever citations are deemed appropriate by them or their supervisor. But in a fatal accident or one that leaves a critically-injured victim, accident investigators from the Highway Unit will respond and take much more time to determine exactly what happened.

In a case like this, it usually takes a couple of days before the investigation is completed and a decision is made – by the DA, unless it's just going to be a traffic ticket – whether charges will be filed.

bggb

And frequently, after all that deliberation, still no charges are filed.

jaycjay

Be that as it may, it's not relevant.

The point is that the obligatory knee-jerk cries of rage here over "no charges were filed" immediately upon every accident report are born of ignorance.

If you want to criticize the system you should first make an effort to understand how it works.

bggb

When gothamist makes posts about decisions to not file charges I will comment there.

Until then, I'll point out that traffic enforcement and motor vehicle culpability in this city is a joke at every opportunity.

mistermarkdavis

it was an accident. Anyone could have backed into a person on a sidewalk so fast that they would get thrown through a pane of glass and sever their leg.

Gwinny

of course not. the police were too busy ticketing cyclists for riding outside the bike lane to take much notice.

mistermarkdavis

don't forget all the people possessing marijuana.

drew_o

Have you watered your hive lately?

mistermarkdavis

I left my hive watering can on the seat next to me on an empty subway car and got a ticket. the watering can was taken as evidence.

diablofreak

calm down guys, the driver was just trying to back in 90-degrees into the restaurant to grab a quick drink from the bar . the woman should never have gotten in the way.