A 21-year-old pedestrian was fatally struck by a Mack truck while crossing E. 81st Street and Madison Avenue this morning, and police believe he may have been distracted by the music emanating from his ear buds. The truck backed into him, dragging him for about 30 feet, and police found an iPod Nano and headphones on the pavement near the victim. The 51-year-old truck driver remained on the scene and was not charged. In 2007, State Senator Carl Kruger proposed a ban on using iPods while crossing the street, saying users are "tuning out the world around them."
[UPDATE] According to Streetsblog, the NYPD says the driver had been traveling north on Madison Avenue, but put the truck in reverse after realizing he had missed his destination near 81st Street. The NYPD says "no criminality is suspected at this time."
