After a gruesome video showed a pedestrian being struck and run over by two cars, local elected officials and community activists gathered at that street corner in Glendale to call for better safety measures on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
On the corner of Cypress Avenue and Cooper Avenue Saturday, Feb. 12, at around 6:30 p.m., disturbing footage captured a 57-year-old man being struck by one car and falling to the ground as another car slowly runs him over. Last Monday, the video was uploaded to Twitter and has already gotten over 625,000 views.
Disclaimer: The following video contains graphic footage. Viewer discretion is advised.
Queens: Cypress Avenue & Cooper Avenue, pedestrian struck by two vehicles two days ago on February 12th, 2022 in te confinesofthe @NYPDnews/@NYPD104Pct. The aided was transported to the hospital in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/BiHCIR9smf
— NYC Scoop (@NY_Scoop) February 14, 2022
The man was found in the street in a pool of blood when he was transported to Jamaica Hospital; he is alive. According to police, a 40-year-old male initially struck the pedestrian while making a left turn from Cooper Avenue. The only action taken thus far has been a failure to yield issued to the driver of the first vehicle.
Council member Robert Holden, who called the press conference Tuesday, said that the most dangerous aspect of his community is crosswalks.
“That’s the most danger to life and limb in this precinct,” Holden said. “This is an area that needs attention. You don’t have to be here that long to realize this is a problem corner. There’s lawlessness that we need to correct, coupled with NYPD enforcement. It’s so important to get the necessary safety improvements right here and the rest of New York.”
Elected officials speculated many different ways to prevent this from happening again, from improved visibility to turn signals and better law enforcement. Still, they ultimately called on the Department of Transportation’s Commissioner to determine what needs to be done and act quickly.
DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said that on behalf of Mayor Eric Adams, “help is on the way.”
“I don’t take no as the answer,” Rodriguez said. “New York City has to be the safest city for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic violence is a solvable crisis. Safety is a top priority for myself and Mayor Eric Adams.”
Rodriguez said that this crash occurred because two vehicles failed to yield for the pedestrian.
“I have the team at DOT, working as we are speaking right now, looking into all possible design and signaling improvements that will make this intersection safer. You will see changes here in the next couple of days. This will happen very soon.”
Community members and activists joined their elected officials to share their personal experiences with this dangerous intersection. Caroline Shadood said her husband had been hit twice at the Cypress and Cooper Avenue intersection.
“I live here and see the traffic violence here every day,” Shadood said. “I walk this intersection multiple times a day terrified because there have been 153 crashes in the last several years miraculously no one has died. Pedestrians deserve access to get from point A to point B just like anyone in a car.”
State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar spoke at the press conference, saying that the street corner they stood at was a “danger zone.”
“We watched on video as our neighbor was run over twice at this dangerous intersection,” Rajkumar said. “This is traffic violence: we know about the dangers of this roadway and we don’t do anything about it. That’s violence against the community and it has to stop.”
State Senator Joseph Addabbo spoke to the same point, mentioning that the city knows how dangerous this area of Glendale is and has chosen to do nothing.
“They can do something, and with our help and being a united voice, it will pay off,” Addabbo said. “Someday, maybe we can prevent and not react to a fatality or an accident that severely injures someone here.”
Rodriguez also mentioned that protected bike lanes will be fortified with jersey barriers around the city, three of which will be installed in Queens.
“This is only the beginning,” Rodriguez said. “We need to be sure that transportation will be built around accessibility and safety. We know what is happening and we support all the resources we need to save the lives of pedestrians and cyclists.”
