Bushwick Bleeds While Leaders Stall: Lower the Speed, Save a Life
AD 53: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
The Bodies in the Road
In Assembly District 53, the numbers do not lie. Eight dead. Thirty seriously hurt. Over 2,000 injured. These are not just numbers. They are people—pedestrians, cyclists, children—struck down on the streets of Bushwick and East Williamsburg since 2022. A man thrown ten feet in a Bushwick crosswalk, left broken in the intersection. His friend described the crash: “He gets absolutely launched, maybe 10 to 15 feet right into the middle of the intersection, and just left there.”
The violence does not stop. In the last year alone, five killed, ten left with life-changing injuries. The dead include a pedestrian crushed by a turning truck, a cyclist killed by a van, a motorcyclist thrown from his bike. The streets do not forgive. The city does not fix them fast enough.
Leadership: Steps Forward, Steps Not Taken
Assembly Member Maritza Davila has taken some steps. She co-sponsored bills to force speed limiters on repeat offenders and to require streets to be built for people, not just cars. She voted yes on school speed cameras to protect children. These are real actions. But the crisis is not over. Every week, another crash. Every week, another family changed forever.
The city only closed a deadly intersection after a man died. As one neighbor put it: “Unfortunately, somebody has to die before something gets done.”
What Comes Next: No More Waiting
Speed kills. Delay kills. The law now allows New York City to lower speed limits to 20 mph. The city can act. Davila can push harder. Residents can demand more. Contact your council member, the mayor, and Assembly Member Davila. Demand a 20 mph limit. Demand more speed cameras. Demand streets built for people, not cars.
The bodies in the road are not an act of God. They are the result of choices. Make your voice count. Do not wait for another name to be added to the list.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Hit-And-Run Launches Pedestrian In Bushwick, ABC7, Published 2025-05-20
- Hit-And-Run Launches Pedestrian In Bushwick, ABC7, Published 2025-05-20
- City Closes Deadly Bushwick Intersection, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-04-28
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4749926, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
- Bushwick Hit-And-Run Kills Passenger, NY Daily News, Published 2025-03-01
- Repeat Offender Kills Passenger In Brooklyn Crash, NY Daily News, Published 2025-03-08
- Brooklyn Pols Demand the State ‘Come to the Table’ on the BQE, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2023-02-10
- File A 2299, Open States, Published 2025-01-17
- File A 1077, Open States, Published 2025-01-08
- File A 7652, Open States, Published 2024-06-07
- Mark Levine launches campaign for Comptroller, backed with citywide support, amny.com, Published 2024-12-12
▸ Other Geographies
AD 53 Assembly District 53 sits in Brooklyn, Precinct 90, District 34.
It contains East Williamsburg, Bushwick (West).
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Assembly District 53
Sedan Slams Parked SUV, Passenger Crushed▸A sedan struck a parked SUV on Bushwick Place. Metal met stillness. A 27-year-old man, riding outside, took the blow. His leg crushed. He stayed conscious. Driver inattention and inexperience set the scene. The street bore the mark.
A sedan traveling east on Bushwick Place crashed into a parked SUV. According to the police report, a 27-year-old man riding outside the sedan suffered crush injuries to his leg but remained conscious. Several other passengers, including young adults and a child, were involved but did not report serious injuries. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Driver Inexperience' as contributing factors. The sedan’s front end struck the SUV’s rear. No safety equipment was used by those riding outside. The crash underscores the danger when drivers lose focus and lack experience behind the wheel.
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Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493867,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
A sedan struck a parked SUV on Bushwick Place. Metal met stillness. A 27-year-old man, riding outside, took the blow. His leg crushed. He stayed conscious. Driver inattention and inexperience set the scene. The street bore the mark.
A sedan traveling east on Bushwick Place crashed into a parked SUV. According to the police report, a 27-year-old man riding outside the sedan suffered crush injuries to his leg but remained conscious. Several other passengers, including young adults and a child, were involved but did not report serious injuries. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Driver Inexperience' as contributing factors. The sedan’s front end struck the SUV’s rear. No safety equipment was used by those riding outside. The crash underscores the danger when drivers lose focus and lack experience behind the wheel.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493867, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-15