Woman Struck And Killed While Pushing Baby In Stroller In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman was struck and killed by a pickup truck in Queens on Thursday while out walking with her granddaughter.
It was the latest in a disturbing rise in traffic fatalities.
CBS2's Ali Bauman spoke to the victim's son, but he was too upset over the death of his mother to go on camera. He did say, thankfully, the baby girl is going to be OK.
Police said the driver had a suspended license when he hit the woman and baby in the crosswalk.
Surveillance video shows 58-year-old Insook Rol pushing her 19-month-old granddaughter in a stroller at the crosswalk when a white pickup truck attempts a left turn.
"I see the baby and the lady was on the floor. The stroller was like bottles was on the floor. The lady was full of blood and the kid had bruises. It was sad," witness Orlando Huerta told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
The incident happened just after 10 a.m. on the Cross Island Parkway access road at 150th Street in Whitestone. The woman was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The baby was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center with minor injuries, police said.
The driver stayed on the scene. Video shows him pull over, carry the victim to the sidewalk, and then clear the stroller from the street.
The victim was the second woman hit by a car at the intersection in less than two months.
"I drive here a lot here and it is bad," Whitestone resident Katarina Kalinic said.
"The city should put a speed camera up, speed bump, something to help the safety of the pedestrians," resident Elizabeth Brady added.
Citywide, 122 people have been killed in vehicular crashes so far this year, up 39% from the same time last year. Danny Harris is the executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
"Right now, we're on track to be the deadliest year since Vision Zero was launched. Our numbers have been up three years in a row in terms of traffic fatalities," Harris said.
When CBS2 asked Mayor Bill de Blasio about this, his office referred us to comments from two days ago.
"People turned back to their cars in this pandemic, and then they started driving recklessly and that's unacceptable," de Blasio said. "Vision Zero works. It has to be applied more and more and more."
"Quite simply, our new mayor needs to prioritize people over cars," Harris said.
Police arrested 43-year-old Angelo Graci. He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care.