An MTA worker was struck and killed by a bus after the driver backed into him at the College Point Bus Depot in Queens on Tuesday, March 27-the second MTA employee killed on the job this year.
The victim, 59-year-old Stephen Livecchi, was directing bus traffic during a busy time at the station, about 10:00am, when he was struck; sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s right after rush hour,” said MTA Bus President Darryl Irick. “Buses coming in. Maintenance operations are taking place. There is quite a bit of activity at that point in time.”
Livecchi, “a solid mechanic who was known for always flashing thumbs-up to his colleagues,” was a 37-year veteran of the MTA. “Every morning he made sure those buses were fixed,” said a driver who asked to remain anonymous. “He was a hard worker.”
We join friends, family and co-workers in mourning the death of Livecchi in this tragic accident.
Unfortunately, this is the second MTA worker killed on the job this year: the first was 23-year-old St. Clair Zaire Stephens Richards, who fell to his death after a protective wooden railing broke as he leaned on it. He was the first MTA fatality since November 2016, when a subway worker was struck by a train.
In the densely populated urban area of New York City, buses are everywhere and represent an active hazard to pedestrians walking the street. To help prevent bus accidents, the MTA offers some safety tips:
- Don’t run for the bus. The most common cause of injury for people riding or trying to ride the bus is slips, trips and falls.
- Never assume the bus driver sees you. Lampposts, large crowds, newsstands, food trucks and double-parked vehicles are just a few of the potential distractions that could obscure a bus operator’s view.
- Don’t text and walk. Traffic in New York City can be unpredictable and you should always be alert when trying to cross the street. Walk defensively.
- Don’t cross the street between parked cars. Instead, wait to cross at street corners when the traffic signs indicate you can safely walk.
- Stand back as the bus gets closer. Resist the temptation to step up to the curb as your bus begins to pull up.
- Ride responsibly. This includes keeping your head and arms inside bus windows and staying behind the white line if you are at the front of the bus. Keep your driver free of distractions.
- Hold the railings when exiting. This is especially important in winter, when there may be snow, ice or other tripping hazards.
- Be mindful after stepping off. Don’t cross in front of a bus when exiting, and be sure to check for oncoming cars, particularly when the driver hasn’t been able to come to a complete stop.
The MTA employs 50,000 people dedicated to running the city’s subways and buses. When workers are injured or killed in the line of duty, it is a tragic reminder to all of us that accidents can happen-and so we must always be careful.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a bus accident, it is critical that you seek a personal injury lawyer with experience in motor vehicle accidents. The personal injury attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy have a proven track record of successfully litigating cases involving both pedestrians and bus passengers. Notable case results include:
- $6,000,000 settlement for a passenger who was seriously injured when his bus was struck while trying to make a right turn at an intersection in Brooklyn.
- $3,500,000 settlement for a bus driver who was seriously injured when he was rear-ended by a sanitation truck in Brooklyn.
- $3,000,000 settlement after a driver was struck while going straight through an intersection by a bus attempting to make a left-hand turn.
- $2,200,000 settlement for a pedestrian who was hit by a bus as she crossed an intersection within the crosswalk and after the crossing signal instructed her she had right-of-way.
- $2,056,656 verdict for an English teacher in Brooklyn who was struck by a bus, which continued driving after the impact.