Pedestrian Hit By Bus At Intersection
Trying to cross a busy intersection on the Brooklyn/Queens border in Ridgewood proved fatal for a man who was struck by a bus last Thursday morning, Oct. 30, police reported.
The identity of the victim, a man in his 40s, was not disclosed by the NYPD pending family notification.
Reportedly, the deadly accident occurred at 5:10 a.m. near the Ridgewood Intermodal Terminal at the corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto Street.
According to information obtained by authorities, the victim was crossing Palmetto Street from the southeast corner to the northwest corner as a B54 bus, traveling north on Wyckoff Avenue, attempted to turn right onto Palmetto Street.
Law enforcement sources said the victim was hit by the bus’ rear wheels, causing severe trauma. The bus driver stopped the vehicle and remained at the scene, it was noted.
Officers from the 104th Precinct and EMS units responded to the scene. The victim died a short time later at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
No charges were filed against the driver, and no criminality is suspected.
An inquiry by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad is ongoing, police said.
Last Thursday’s fatal accident was the most recent deadly pedestrian accident to occur near the Ridgewood Intermodal Terminal. Civic activists previously called upon the city Department of Transportation (DOT) to make changes to improve both driver and pedestrian safety.
The city DOT ranked the intersection of Myrtle Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto Street among the most dangerous in the five boroughs. Four pedestrians were killed or serious injured there between 2007 and 2011.
Earlier this year, the DOT enacted a plan to extend crosswalks and prohibit certain turn movements deemed most dangerous.
Some civic activists, however, criticized the measures as not going far enough.
Paul Kerzner, former president of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association, told the Times Newsweekly the organization would contact City Council Member Antonio Reynoso, the MTA and the DOT to seek that certain bus movements at the intersection are banned.
Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano added in a phone interview with this paper that the board’s Transportation and Public Transit Committees would re-examine the intersection in the weeks ahead to determine if additional safety measures are needed.
