A 3-year-old struck and killed by a driver in Harlem is part of a concerning trend in 2024, NYC police say
NEW YORK -- A child crossing the street with her mother was struck by a driver and killed in Harlem on Thursday. Another child was hurt.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street.
Girl struck while crossing the street with her mother
Police said a mother, 37, was crossing the street with her 3-year-old daughter and pushing her two other children, a 2-year-old boy and 4-month-old boy, in a stroller when the driver of a Nissan SUV struck the little girl.
It appeared the crash happened in the crosswalk, police said.
According to police, the driver, a 40-year-old man, got out of the vehicle, picked up the child and carried her to Harlem Hospital, which is right across the street, where she was pronounced dead.
The 2-year-old boy suffered minor injuries. The 4-month-old was not hurt.
"I saw one crawl out from under the front bumper. Somebody scooped up the baby and just took off and ran her into the hospital," a witness told CBS New York.
The driver was questioned and will not be charged, we're told.
More pedestrians in NYC are getting hurt in crashes, police say
New York City police are investigating more deadly crashes involving pedestrians in 2024 than 2023. More than 4,500 pedestrians have been injured this year compared to 4,300 during the same time period last year, a 5% increase, NYPD said.
Of those injured pedestrians, 64 were killed between Jan. 1, 2024 and July 10, 2024. In the same time last year, 49 pedestrians were killed.
The nonprofit Transportation Alternatives, which also tracks the number of pedestrians injured in crashes, said crashes have increased since Vision Zero started 10 years ago.
"When we look at pedestrians, which is really upsetting to see because we've been doing so well. It's even been a lot safer for pedestrians. And we're seeing that this year has been really, really, really dangerous, really deadly," said Alexis Sledge, with Transportation Alternatives.