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Second Child in 3 Days Is Killed by a Vehicle in Brooklyn Second Child in 3 Days Is Killed by a Vehicle in Brooklyn
(about 7 hours later)
A boy, 7, was struck and killed by a vehicle Thursday morning in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood, the police said. He was the second child pedestrian killed in three days. Two crossing guards wearing bright vests stood at the intersection of Blake and Pennsylvania Avenues in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon as children were dismissed from a nearby school — a development that some neighbors were surprised to see.
At about 8:30 a.m., the vehicle struck the boy and his mother, 39, who were walking in the crosswalk at the intersection of Blake and Pennsylvania Avenues, the police said. “It took a little kid’s life for them to put crossing guards here,” said Freddy Ruiz, 55, a resident.
The incident occurred just two days after and just two miles away from where a 10-year-old girl, who was crossing the street on her way to school, was fatally struck by a school bus making a right turn. Earlier on Thursday at that same intersection, a boy, 7, was struck and killed by an S.U.V. He was the second child pedestrian killed in three days.
The boy was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, the police said, but he died shortly after arriving there. His mother, who was also taken to Brookdale, was injured but not in critical condition. The police said that around 8:30 a.m., the vehicle, a silver Jeep Cherokee, hit the boy, Payson Lott, and his mother, who were in a crosswalk at the intersection, in the East New York neighborhood.
Both names are not being released pending family notification, the police said. A video shared with The New York Times shows the driver of the Jeep turning right and suddenly hitting the boy and his mother, 39, without halting.
The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene. No arrests have been made as the authorities continue to investigate, the police said. Shortly before 4 p.m., Shadeen Lott, whom neighbors identified as Payson’s mother, emerged from a car that pulled up to the building where the family lived. She walked out limping, with a cane, and was accompanied by a man and young girl. They declined to comment as they went inside.
On Tuesday, the 10-year-old girl, Patience Albert, was struck around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Crescent Street and Wortman Avenue in the East New York area, the police said. She was also taken to Brookdale, where she was pronounced dead. The incident occurred just two days after and just two miles away from where a 10-year-old girl, who was crossing the street on her way to school with her older brother, was fatally struck by a school bus making a right turn.
No students had been on the bus, and the driver of the bus was taken into custody, officials said. The driver was charged with two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and two counts of failure to exercise due care. More than 20 pedestrians have been killed in traffic incidents on New York City streets so far this year, including six since Sunday.
A spokesman for the city’s Department of Education said on Tuesday that the driver would be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan on street safety, traffic deaths fell to 203 in 2018, their lowest level in a century. But last year, they rose to 221. Pedestrian deaths also increased last year, to 122 from 115 in 2018.
More than 20 pedestrians have been killed in traffic incidents on New York City streets this year, including at least five since Sunday. The driver of the vehicle, Susan Pierrot, 48, remained at the scene and was later arrested, the police said. She was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator in the second degree and four counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian — two involving an injury — and was cited for multiple traffic infractions, the police said.
On Sunday, an 88-year-old woman was killed while crossing Bell Boulevard in Bayside, Queens, and a 26-year-old man was fatally struck in a hit-and-run in Brooklyn. On Monday, a 59-year-old woman died after being struck on a Bronx street. The Jeep has at least 42 parking and camera violation tickets in the city dating to 2017, including 10 school-zone speed-camera violations and two violations for failing to stop at a red light, according to How’s My Driving NY, a service that compiles public data on parking and camera violations. Thirty-two of these violations were in Brooklyn.
The city is now planning to crack down on the most dangerous drivers, requiring those with multiple speeding or red-light camera violations to take a driving-safety course or risk having their car seized.
Payson was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, the police said, where he died shortly after arriving. His mother was also taken to Brookdale for injuries.
After the accident, police officers rerouted traffic to clear the scene as the authorities examined the Jeep. After the vehicle was towed away, a fire truck washed down the street.
Just steps away from the scene, the boy’s orange coat and blue umbrella remained on a curb in front of a community garden.
Wevdi Nasher, the owner of a bodega at the corner of Blake and Pennsylvania Avenues, said the fatality was not a surprise.
“The traffic here is very dangerous; people drive like crazy,” Mr. Nasher, 26, said. “I’ve got to be careful when I go to cross the street.”
It is common for children to stop by his store to buy breakfast and snacks, said Mr. Nasher, who was not at work when the boy was struck. The High School for Civil Rights, formerly Thomas Jefferson High School, is close to where the incident happened.
Bruce Thomas, 63, a longtime resident, said reckless driving along that stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue had worsened since last year, when the authorities removed a speed sign that showed drivers how fast they were going.
“Now people see the yellow light,” Mr. Thomas said, referring to the traffic light, “and they speed up.”
He added that while the speed limit on that street was 25 miles per hour, “people come through here doing 40, 45. It’s madness.”
The city has red-light cameras installed at 150 intersections and more than 600 speed cameras near schools.
It is unknown if a speed camera captured Thursday’s incident; there are several schools within a few blocks of the intersection. But city officials have said that both speed and red-light cameras have made streets safer.
In areas with speed cameras, the number of people killed or injured in crashes has declined by about 20 percent over the past three years.
In a statement, Danny Harris, the executive director with Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group, called the pedestrian fatalities a “public health crisis.”
“New Yorkers cannot wait weeks, months, or years for safe streets,” he said. “We must accelerate our path to Vision Zero today.”
On Tuesday, the 10-year-old girl, Patience Albert, was struck by the school bus at around 6:30 a.m. near the Crescent Street and Wortman Avenue intersection, the police said. She was pronounced dead at Brookdale. Her brother, 15, whom the police would not name, suffered a leg injury.
No students had been on the bus, and its driver, Pedro Colon, was taken into custody, officials said. Mr. Colon, 61, was charged with two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and two counts of failure to exercise due care.
Also this week, an 88-year-old woman was killed on Sunday while crossing Bell Boulevard in Bayside, Queens, and a 26-year-old man was fatally struck in a hit-and-run in Brooklyn.
On Monday, a 59-year-old woman died after being struck on a Bronx street, and on Wednesday, a 39-year-old man died after being struck by two vehicles in the Bronx.
In Brooklyn, Payson’s neighbors were processing the news of his death on Thursday afternoon.
Aaron Fedii, who lives on Wyona Street, downstairs from the boy, said he saw him and his mother on their way to school every morning. He described Payson as a “cool little dude.”
“It’s sad,” Mr. Fedii, 24, said. “Second time in a week.”