[UPDATE BELOW] One worker is dead after a crane collapse at the 7 train extension construction site at 34th Street between 11th and 10th Avenues, an FDNY spokesperson confirms. Other workers are also injured, one with serious injuries and the other with minor injuries. The FDNY says two huge pieces of the giant crane—one 80 feet long and another approximately 40 feet long—became dislodged and fell in the accident. The crane itself was 170 feet. more ›

Earlier this morning, 4 and 6 train service was suspended for a couple hours between Brooklyn Bridge and 42nd Street, due to an investigation. It turns out that a man was struck and killed by a train near Spring Street before 6 a.m. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A Queens man died this morning and an explosive device may have been the cause. FDNY tells us that around 9:28 a.m. a call came in regarding a firecracker explosion at 112-20 111th Avenue, a home near the Aqueduct Racetrack. Authorities then suspected it was a shotgun discharge, but now believe it is related to fireworks or other explosive devices, although the investigation is ongoing. The man, describes as a white male in his 50s, was found dead at the scene. more ›

Earlier this morning, the Bruckner Expressway's southbound lanes were closed due to an accident. Now it turns out the accident was caused by a wrong-way driver who slammed her car into a tractor-trailer around 3 a.m. more ›

Charging a driver who hits a cyclist for anything is disturbingly rare (see here, here)—in New York City a family is lucky if they can even see charges filed for leaving the scene of an accident. Out in Long Island the chances of doing time for running down a rider is a little bit higher, but not much. Take, for instance, Nicole Shellard, a 33-year-old woman who has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter and other charges in the May 2010 death of 45-year-old Kathryn Underdown. Though Shellard admits she was on a mix of prescription pills when she mowed down her victim [paywall], she'll only be serving 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 years in prison. more ›

Police are looking for the driver who fatally struck a man on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens earlier this morning. A 65-year-old man who had gotten into an accident had exited his car to inspect the damage, and WABC 7 reports, "a passing vehicle struck him and kept going." more ›

A shooting outside a bodega on Weirfield and Bushwick Avenue has left a 23-year-old women dead and a 13-year-old and 21-year-old injured. According to the Daily News, "All three had just stepped out of Bed-Stuy Supermarket and Deli on Weirfield St. at Bushwick Ave., where they had bought sandwiches and sodas, when a gunman approached them." The cashier said, "He takes the gun out and starts shooting." more ›

Yesterday three Staten Island families were struck by tragedy when an SUV carrying seven people overturned on the Garden State Parkway. A 2003 Ford Expedition driven by Dimitrios "Jimmy" Iliopoulos, 54, "swerved and then smashed into a right-hand guardrail" and "overturned at least twice." Iliopoulos' sons Hlias, 18, and Chrystoph, 13, and their friend Eric Colligan, 15, were thrown from the SUV into the highway and died. more ›

A cyclist was killed in a collision yesterday afternoon in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The Daily News reports that Joseph Granati, 39, was turning onto Avenue T from West 9th Street when "he collided" with a 2002 Nissan Altima. Police say the 24-year-old unidentified driver had the green light, and he stayed at the scene and was not charged. Granati's head reportedly smashed through the rear passenger-side window of the car. He died at the scene. more ›

The police shot and killed a man who was wielding a knife in a Bronx apartment building earlier this morning. The knife-wielding man had been in a dispute with his roommate, and the cops were called to the apartment at 11:20 p.m. A neighbor said, "[A] cop said, 'Everybody go back to your apartments.' As soon as we hear them say that - not even a full second after - you hear boom-boom!" more ›

The Post reports that a man was killed after being hit by an L train: "The victim, believed to be in his 30s, was killed around 5:30 a.m. after the southbound L train ran over him on the tracks at the Halsey Street stop in Bushwick. Cops said the man did not have identification on him. No criminality was immediately suspected." There's also a photo of cops removing the body. more ›

Two men have been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run in Staten Island that left Brunilda Maldonado, 47, dead. Maldonado was struck yesterday around 2:30 a.m. after pulling her car over on Targee Street and Laurel Avenue to deal with overheating. Her niece told WABC, "I went to get her some water, and before I knew it, I came downstairs and she had gotten hit by a car, a black car, like sped. She was thrown, almost a hundred feet from where her car was to under another car, that's not a nice thing at all." more ›

Yesterday, a 6-month-old baby died after being struck by a falling branch near the sea lion exhibit at the Central Park Zoo. Baby Gianna Riccuitti died almost instantly while her mother Karla DelGallo, who was also struck and hospitalized, is now in stable condition. Witness Trung Tran said he heard a crack, and watched as the branch fell about 40 feet while DelGallo attempted to run away. He told the Daily News, "I heard someone say, 'Watch out!' I heard the branch cracking." more ›

A contractor working for the MTA was crushed to death yesterday morning while unloading metal panels at the Q train Avenue M station. An NYC Transit spokesman told the Post that Richard Lang was "untying the load of panels when the load shifted" underneath him. He reportedly jumped down, but the load fell on top of him when he hit the ground. A witness said, "He climbed on top of the panels. They were unsteady, and it looked like they didn't tie them." more ›

The Bronx will be getting another ghost bike: This morning an unidentified woman was run over by a BX 17 bus heading southbound on Crotona Avenue just before 8:30 a.m. Witnesses say the 57-year-old cyclist, whose name is being withheld for now, rode into the path of the bus after getting doored or swerving to avoid a car door. "The bus was coming and the lady swerved to get out of the way of the car door," passenger Angel Otero tells the Daily News. "It happened so fast. Everybody got off the bus gasping and crying when they saw her." more ›

A Buildings Department investigation into the Bensonhurst tenement where a fire killed five has proved what many suspected—that the building was an illegally subdivided death-trap, where escape was nearly impossible. The Daily News says as many as 15 people—all Guatemalan immigrants—were crowded onto its third floor thanks to three illegally-built walls. Since fire escapes were blocked for some units, the only exit was the smoky collapsing stairwell, where the fire was set, allegedly by second-floor resident Daniel Ignacio. more ›

A recent city report revealed that traffic fatalities were down to the lowest they've been in a century—not only that, but bikers fared the best of everyone. The stats show that more than 50 percent fewer cyclists were killed last year than in 2008—12 died last year, down from 26 in '08, according to the DOT. Motorcyclists came in next, down 30 percent, and motorists died 20 percent less often, in spite of those faulty Toyotas. Poor pedestrians were the only group not to improve: 155 people died on foot in New York in 2009, four more than the year before. more ›

Arson investigators are looking into whether the Brooklyn fire that killed five on Saturday, and forced one woman to throw her two children from a third-story window, could have been sparked by a jilted boyfriend. A man seen fleeing the scene around 2:30 a.m., when the fire started, may have been owed money by a woman living on the second floor, some sources say. "We're treating it as a homicide," a police source told the Daily News. Meanwhile in Brooklyn as well as in Guatemala, where relatives of the fire's victims still reside, loved ones are mourning the immense loss. more ›

A 35-year-old man was killed by a No. 5 train just before 10 a.m. this morning, according to City Room. The victim was pinned between the train and the tracks at Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue station, where police say there was no evidence of foul play. EMS was called, and power was cut to the tracks but by the time the man could be transported to Brooklyn Hospital Center, he was already in grave condition. Doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. more ›

NY traffic casualties are down to their lowest since 1910, but watch out if you drive a Toyota (or are walking near one). Sticky gas pedals are causing the cars to speed out of control—now, after two recalls in the past two months the car company says it will stop making and selling eight models including favorites like the Camry and Corolla. The world's top automaker will temporarily halt operations at five plants "to assess and coordinate activities." Meanwhile, there are 2.3 million vehicles that need to be recalled. Toyota's vice-president called the action "necessary," adding that he's "making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible." more ›

A crash between a tractor-trailer truck and a sanitation truck left one dead this morning in Queens. The Daily News reports that the Mack truck turned onto Ditmars Blvd. at 35th St just before 8 a.m., hitting the sanitation truck and killing Frank Justich, who was riding on the back of the truck. Justich was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital, but investigators do not suspect any criminality on behalf of the Mack truck driver. Justich had worked for the Sanitation Dept. for 11 years, and has been the tenth worker to die on-duty since 2003, according to the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association. more ›

A Queens man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing a car and hitting and killing two pedestrians when he was drunk and on pills. Kenneth Guyear pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter yesterday in the deaths of Robert Ogle, 16, and Alex Paul, 20, who were killed in Middle Village in February, according to the Post. The judge sentenced Guyear to the maximum prison term for the offense after he confessed to having five or six drinks and consuming two Xanax pills before stealing a car that was idling in front of a deli and striking the victims. Guyear — as well as the man whose car was stolen and the parents who allowed the underage victims to drink at their home before the incident — still face a civil suit from Ogle's parents. more ›

The bike rider who was run over by a school bus and killed on Delancey Street has been identified as 35-year-old Fuen Bai. The East Village resident reportedly crashed after hitting a pothole near the corner of Orchard Street and was backed over by the bus. In the days since the fatal collision — for which the driver wasn't charged — Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said his office would look into the incident. Cycling activists have put up a memorial for the biker, which reads:

Though we never met I mourn your passing. My heart broke at the news of the tragic loss of your life on this street. I too ride daily these dangerous streets, and had we met, would surely have had many stories to tell. I hope to see you in heaven and maybe share a ride with you there. I am sure the streets are in much better condition.

The bus driver who hit and killed a cyclist — reportedly while driving in reverse — will not be charged, according to police. "I don't believe that anyone will be charged," an NYPD spokesman told Streetsblog. "The driver remained on the scene. Looks like it was just an accident." Considering that this is Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's first week on the job, the transit website ponders whether or not this case will be indicative of his office's stance on vehicular crimes. The victim's name has not been released pending family notification. more ›

The female cyclist who died on Delancey Street yesterday hit a pothole and fell behind a school bus, which then backed over her, NY1 reports. The victim was thrown from her bike near the corner of Ludlow Street at around 4:30 pm and happened to land directly behind the bus, according to a witness. more ›

Three women were hit and killed by cars today in isolated incidents in Manhattan and Brooklyn. A female cyclist was struck by a school bus near the corner of Delancey and Ludlow streets in the Lower East Side at around 4 pm, according to the Post. The tabloid reports that the bus was empty, while ABC notes that the vehicle belonged to the bus company Atlantic Express and was carrying two children at the time. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot outside Metropolitan Diploma Plus High in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Malachi Cotton was standing at a city bus stop by when, the Daily News reports, "Three men approached him around 3:15 p.m., police said. The armed trio, who were targeting Cotton, fired several shots at him and then fled." more ›

In a study due out this week, Thomas Frieden, the head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reveals that during the Spring in NYC "about 800,000 people—about 10% of New York City residents—got infected with the flu. That's a lot of people." In all, the virus killed 47 New Yorkers, less than 1% of those infected. But could this be just a prelude to something far worse? Dr. Harold Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, thinks so. A heavy report spearheaded by Varmus and the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology predicts that the swine flu could potentially kill between 30,000 and 90,000 Americans in the coming months, infect half of the population, and force some 1.8 million people into hospital ICUs. Frieden, however, thinks the report is over the top, and told C-SPAN, "Everything we've seen in the U.S... suggests we won't see that kind of number if the virus doesn't change." Who to trust? The Daily News could not track Varmus down for comment, probably because he's busy stocking up on canned goods and ammunition for his bunker. (Either that, or raising money to build a new MSKCC Swine Flu Research Wing.) more ›

There's no blood on the hands of the NYPD, as usual. On Monday night the 94th Precinct held a community meeting that touched upon the fatal hit and run in Greenpoint on April 27th. Streetsblog reports that the officers denied that a high-speed chase led to the death of 38-year-old local mom Violetta Kryzak. more ›

The Centers for Disease Control confirmed the first American death from the swine flu—a 23-month-old child from Texas died. The CDC also said the child had recently traveled to Mexico. Acting CDC chief Dr. Richard Besser told the Today Show, "Even though we've been expecting [that there would be some deaths], it is very, very sad. As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family." He added, "I don't think it (the reported death in Texas) indicates any change in the strain. We see with any flu virus a spectrum of disease symptoms... It's very important that people take their concern and channel it into action...it is crucial that people understand what they need to do if symptoms appear." Here's the CDC's Swine Flu & You website, which points out, "Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods." (Children are also very vulnerable to the seasonal flu.) more ›