1 dead, 2 injured after pedestrians hit in Chinatown in NYC, police say
One person was killed and two others were injured after being struck by a vehicle in Manhattan's Chinatown on Thursday morning.
Firefighters said they got a call at 10:20 a.m., reporting the incident at Bowery and Canal streets.
Driver in custody, police sources say
Video from the scene shows crime scene tape blocking off part of a street with a large truck carrying pallets of wood. Part of the truck's windshield was smashed, and it had multiple flat tires.
Police said the truck had just exited the Manhattan Bridge and was traveling westbound on Canal Street when it turned right toward Bowery but mounted the curb, hitting three pedestrians on the sidewalk. The truck then rear-ended a van on Bowery.
"It was like an explosion, so I checked outside and I see the car passing really fast with no brakes," witness Marat Musarov said.
One of the victims, a 77-year-old man, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The two other victims, both female, were hospitalized in stable condition. The 47-year-old driver of the van was also hospitalized.
The driver of the truck, a 66-year-old man, was initially taken into custody, but so far, no charges have been filed, police sources say. There's no indication thus far that the crash was intentional, police said.
Family identified the man who died as Jun Ting. The victim's son-in-law, Kin Fai Wong, described him as a strong man who took care of his family.
Wong said his wife, 52-year-old Yong Wong, was injured in the crash and is grappling with the loss of her father while in the hospital.
"Sad, you know. She's crying," he said.
Wong says he wants the driver to be held accountable.
"At least 20 years in jail, at least," Wong said.
This area of Lower Manhattan is no stranger to vehicular danger
Thursday's apparent accident comes a little more than a year after the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said a driver sped over the Manhattan Bridge and fatally struck a biker on the sidewalk and a woman sitting on a bench at the intersection of Canal and Bowery.
"The traffic lights on the bridge itself, mid-span, these cars have to be slowed down. Rumble strips, speed bumps, they can all help," state Sen. Stephen Chan said. "We need to put more steel barriers between the curb and the street."
Nonprofit Transportation Alternatives says 10 pedestrians have been killed on Canal Street since 2014, with the average age of the victims at 75.
"Canal Street is one of the most dangerous streets in Manhattan," said Charlie Baker, spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives.
They've been pushing for a redesign of the road.
"The longer the delays go, the more New Yorkers are going to die here," Baker said.
The advocacy group also says the speed limit on the Manhattan Bridge is 35 mph, which is 15 mph higher than on Canal.
"Someone got to do something about Bowery. They come off 100 mph to and from the bridge," one local resident said. "I avoid Bowery. It's a death trap."
City Councilman Christopher Marte, who represents the area, said what happened Thursday marks the third death in just over a year.
"The Department of Transportation has been inching forward with a plan to fix Canal Street, but starting at its least fatal end," Marte said.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal echoed those concerns, releasing a statement that said, in part, "I strongly support calls that Community Board 3, local elected officials, and others have long made for safety improvements along this corridor. We cannot wait any longer. DOT must act now on immediate safety measures and move forward with a Canal Street redesign and safety improvements at the Manhattan Bridge entrance that protects pedestrians and other vulnerable road users."
The DOT told CBS News New York in a statement, "This was a horrific crash involving a truck that appears to have lost control as it exited the Manhattan Bridge. We are reviewing the circumstances of this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the victims' families and loved ones."
