Yet another truck accident involving a city sanitation truck has killed a New York City resident, this time on Staten Island. An elderly woman was returning from her daily trip to the local store to get her paper and coffee when she was hit crossing the street at Clove Road and Delafield Avenue in West Brighton at 7:30 AM last Friday.
The driver of the truck, who was said to be in shock after the event, probably never saw the victim, according to witnesses.
Local residents said that the corner has been the scene of many accidents because vehicles making a left turn cannot see people crossing the street until they are right in front of them. No criminality is suspected in this incident although the accident is under full investigation by the New York City Police Department, according to a spokesman for the Department of Sanitation. It is not known who had the right of way at the intersection.
This is one of a string of fatal accidents involving New York City garbage trucks and private sanitation trucks. A car driven by a drunk driver recently crashed into a sanitation truck in Brooklyn, killing a passenger and seriously injuring the driver and another passenger. A woman trying to save her dog was killed in Greenwich Village when the sanitation truck began to move forward after idling for some time. In June, a garbage truck crashed into a Brooklyn restaurant, injuring eight people. A Long Island sanitation worker was killed in what was termed a “freak accident” with another garbage truck.
It is apparent that it can be difficult for drivers of these large vehicles to see the road in front of them. It is also apparent that the Staten Island intersection where the elderly woman was killed may be in need of some redesign to improve the visibility of pedestrians. Time will tell whether the city, the Department of Sanitation and its contractors will be able to address the problems.
Source: CBS Local, “Elderly Woman Struck, Killed By Sanitation Truck On Staten Island,” Jul. 18, 2014.