4th victim dies after July 4th crash in NYC's Lower East Side
NEW YORK -- A fourth person has died after a crash at a Lower East Side park on the Fourth of July.
Police confirm Emily Ruiz, 30, died from her injuries on Tuesday. She had been hospitalized in critical condition since the crash.
Suspected drunk driver crashes into NYC park during Fourth of July celebration
Police said Daniel Hyden, 44, drove through a stop sign, jumped the curb and crashed through a fence and into a group of people at a barbecue in Corlears Hook Park just before 9 p.m. on July 4.
Nine people were struck, including four who became trapped under the vehicle.
Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her 38-year-old son, Herman Pinkney were pronounced dead on July 4. Ana Morel, 43, died early on July 5.
Ruiz was critically injured, but later succumbed to her injuries.
Seven others suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The youngest victim was 11, according to prosecutors.
Police said people at the park pulled Hyden out of his pickup truck after the crash and held him down until first responders arrived on the scene. Responding officers said Hyden had bloodshot eyes and was stumbling, and they could smell alcohol on his breath.
Hyden faces several charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, assault and driving while intoxicated. Prosecutors also said he was driving with a suspended license.
Pedestrian deaths on the rise in NYC compared to last year
New city data shows pedestrian deaths are on the rise compared to last year.
Forty-nine pedestrians were killed between Jan. 1 and July 10, 2023. During that same time period this year, 64 pedestrians have been killed.
As of July 7, there have been 4,504 pedestrian injuries reported across the city, compared to 4,300 for the same time period last year.
According to the NYPD, the area of the city with the most pedestrian injuries so far this year is South Brooklyn, where nearly 1,000 pedestrians have been hurt.
Early Thursday, police said a 19-year-old woman was hit at the intersection of Neptune Avenue and West 12th Street in Coney Island. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
Alexa Sledge, with Transportation Alternatives, an organization that tracks all pedestrian-related accidents, said crashes have increased in the past 10 years since the start of Vision Zero, an initiative to end all traffic deaths.
"We look at pedestrians, which is really upsetting to see because we've been doing so well ... It's been a lot safer for pedestrians, and we're seeing that this year has been really, really, really dangerous, really deadly," Sledge said.
Experts said since the start of Vision Zero in 2014, 113 children under the age of 17 have been killed in crashes. They add they are also seeing an increase in motorist deaths.