This page shows side‑by‑side drafts generated using the modular reporter prompts.

Source summary: tmp/experiments_runs/reporter-eval-goals/summary.json

Variant Summary (averages)

VariantAvg Score (1–10)Poignancy PassAvg Cost
default6.54/4 (100%)$0.07
eval_goals6.54/4 (100%)$0.07

Detailed Runs

GeoVariantTitleWordsQuotesLinksUnmatched DomainsAuto PassPoignancyEditor Score (1–10)Cost
citywide-nycdefaultNew York City: South Conduit, a body, and a city that keeps counting407000❌✅7.0$0.06
citywide-nyceval_goalsNew York City: Three bodies at 42nd and 19th399000❌✅6.0$0.04
council-39defaultDistrict 39: Fourth Avenue, Sackett Street, and the ledger of loss662000❌✅6.0$0.08
council-39eval_goalsDistrict 39: Fourth Avenue, one night in October633000❌✅7.0$0.08
nta-BX1201defaultWilliamsbridge-Olinville: two young riders down, the count keeps climbing637000❌✅7.0$0.08
nta-BX1201eval_goalsWilliamsbridge-Olinville: Bronx River Parkway took two lives before dawn. The toll here keeps climbing.623000❌✅7.0$0.07
senate-14defaultSD 14: a left turn, a life cut short326000❌✅6.0$0.07
senate-14eval_goalsLeft turn. Body to asphalt. Another Queens death in SD 14.298000❌✅6.0$0.07

default

New York City: South Conduit, a body, and a city that keeps counting

Just after 2:30 AM at 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue, a driver hit a 52-year-old man and kept going. Police said, “The operator of the vehicle fled the scene after hitting the man.” ABC7.

He is one of 1,107 people killed on New York City streets since Jan 1, 2022, according to NYC Open Data.

The count does not stop

Through Aug 26, 2025, the city logged 183 traffic deaths this year, compared with 195 by this point last year. Crashes fell to 53,332 from 59,461, while serious injuries rose to 500 from 479. Our figures come from city crash records on NYC Open Data.

In the last 12 months alone, 280 people died in traffic. The same files show it. NYC Open Data.

Queens South before dawn

Gothamist reported the man near JFK was struck as he crossed and died at Jamaica Hospital. Detectives were investigating. Gothamist. The Daily News said officers searched for camera footage. NY Daily News.

This is a familiar script. A hard hit. A flight. A sheet on the asphalt. The rest is paperwork.

Officials know how to slow cars

The city can lower speeds and rein in repeat speeders. Those levers exist. Use them. Our campaign lays out the steps to drop the default limit and require speed limiters for the worst offenders. Read how and act here.

One case, many echoes

Wrong-way on the Clearview Expressway, a Queens driver rammed cars and hurt two people. In court he said he entered the highway “in the wrong direction because I wanted to hurt people.” He got eight years. amNY.

A redesign of 14th Street is set to begin next year, pitched to “improve the pedestrian experience.” It is $3 million in design money. NY1.

These are choices. So are the numbers.

Do one thing today

Call, write, and show up until the limits drop and the speeders stop. Start here.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened near JFK? A: Police said a driver struck a 52-year-old man crossing 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue in Queens about 2:30 AM and fled. The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital and pronounced dead. Sources: ABC7, Gothamist, NY Daily News.
  • Q: How many people have been killed on NYC streets since 2022? A: Our analysis of city crash records shows 1,107 traffic deaths from Jan 1, 2022 through Aug 26, 2025. Source: NYC Open Data crash portal.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets: Crashes (h9gi-nx95), Persons (f55k-p6yu), and Vehicles (bm4k-52h4). Filters: crash_date between 2022-01-01 and 2025-08-26; geography: New York City; modes: all. Death counts come from the Persons table where injury_severity = 5 (fatal). You can run similar filtered queries starting here. Data accessed Aug 26, 2025.
  • Q: What can change this now? A: Lower the citywide speed limit and force repeat speeders to slow down with mandatory speed limiters. See concrete steps and call scripts here.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: citywide-nyc

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Human impact is restrained and effective. Avoids melodrama. One evocative line about the sheet on asphalt lands well within guidance.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Clear call to lower speed limits and mandate limiters; ties individual death to systemic fixes. Advocacy is present but brief; could connect policies to cited evidence more tightly.
  • Interest: ✅ — Strong opening scene and tight sections. Mix of incident, stats, and policy keeps pace. One unrelated anecdote (wrong-way expressway) feels lateral to vulnerable road users.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Spare, direct, unsparing. Concrete details and short sentences. Subheads are punchy. Minimal editorializing, though one line borders on commentary (“These are choices. So are the numbers.”).
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Most facts are sourced. Potential issues: the 1,107 deaths and year-to-date figures rely on Open Data but no reproducible link or snapshot; “serious injuries rose to 500 from 479” requires definition and table—unclear from sources; ABC7 qu…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain quantitative claims to clearly defined, reproducible fields and include explicit filter language in-body for any aggregate (e.g., ‘fatalities where injury_severity=fatal in Persons, 2022-01-01 to 2025-08-26’). Avoid figures like …
    • Use only verbatim, attributed quotes present in sources; if summarizing police statements, paraphrase without quotation marks unless the exact text is in the cited article and is quoted there. Add at least 2 more direct quotes if available…
    • Tighten policy linkage by citing timeline or datasets that show speeding’s role (if present in context). If absent, state policies as needed directions without causal claims. Replace tangential anecdotes with incidents that involve pedestr…

eval_goals

New York City: Three bodies at 42nd and 19th

Just after dawn on Aug 12, 2025, at 42nd St and 19th Ave in Astoria, two people on foot and an 84‑year‑old driver were killed in a crash involving four vehicles, including a turning SUV (NYC Open Data).

They were among the 1,107 people killed citywide since Jan 1, 2022 (NYC Open Data).

The hits don’t stop in the dark

About 2:30 AM on Aug 13 in Springfield Gardens, a driver struck a 52‑year‑old man crossing at 155th St and South Conduit Ave and fled. Police said, “The operator of the vehicle fled the scene after hitting the man.” No arrests as of that day (ABC7).

The same morning, reporters counted the city’s dead: 68 pedestrians so far this year, by Aug 13 (NY Daily News). In the NYPD’s Queens South patrol area, 17 traffic deaths through Aug 10, up from 13 by that date last year (Gothamist).

Wrong way, five crashes, a sentence

On the Clearview Expressway in 2023, Joseph Lee drove against traffic and hit five cars. Queens DA Melinda Katz: “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers as he purposefully drove the wrong way on a busy Queens highway and crashed into multiple cars.” A jury convicted him; a judge gave him eight years on Aug 14, 2025 (amNY).

The pattern is plain. People walking and people driving get hit. Some never get up. Some drivers never stop.

Tools sit on the shelf while families plan funerals

The city now has the power to lower speeds on local streets. Albany renewed round‑the‑clock school‑zone cameras. A bill in Albany would force the worst repeat speeders to install devices that keep them from blowing past the limit. The steps are laid out here, with numbers and bill text: what to press City Hall and Albany to do now.

Lives are at stake. So is time.

What you can do today

Call your Council Member and the Mayor. Ask for a safer default speed and real consequences for repeat speeders. Start here.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened at 42nd St and 19th Ave? A: On Aug 12, 2025, two pedestrians and an 84‑year‑old driver were killed in a multi‑vehicle crash that involved a turning SUV at 42nd St and 19th Ave in Astoria, Queens. Details come from the NYC Open Data crash record for CrashID 4834594 (source).
  • Q: How many people have been killed on NYC streets since 2022? A: From Jan 1, 2022 through Aug 26, 2025, 1,107 people were killed in traffic crashes citywide, based on NYC’s collisions datasets as of Aug 26, 2025 (source).
  • Q: What do we know about the JFK hit‑and‑run? A: Around 2:30 AM on Aug 13, 2025, a driver hit a 52‑year‑old man crossing 155th St at South Conduit Ave near JFK and fled. Police said, “The operator of the vehicle fled the scene after hitting the man.” No arrests were reported that day (ABC7; Gothamist).
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets (Crashes h9gi-nx95, Persons f55k-p6yu, Vehicles bm4k-52h4) for NYC, covering 2022‑01‑01 to 2025‑08‑26, as available on Aug 26, 2025. We counted citywide fatalities using the Persons table’s injury severity field (“Killed”) and cross‑checked crash locations and times in the Crashes table. You can browse the base datasets here and the related Persons and Vehicles tables.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: citywide-nyc

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Unsparing tone with human stakes, but lacks a specific, sourced human detail from context. Still lands with urgency without melodrama.
  • Persuasiveness: ❌ — Advocacy is present but muted. The policy section asserts powers (city can lower default speed; Albany renewed 24/7 cameras; ISA bill) without citations in the body or appearing in citations list, weakening the call to action.
  • Interest: ✅ — Leads with a stark crash and tight prose. Subheads are punchy. Mix of incidents sustains attention.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Style is spare and concrete, mostly shows not tells. A few generalities creep in (“The pattern is plain”). Overall clear and muscular.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Multiple issues:
  • Recommendations:
    • Require that every policy or numerical claim be backed by an inline link to a source included in the citations array; if not in provided context, forbid the claim.
    • Constrain temporal scope: mandate that all events and counts fall within the coverage range, and ban any date beyond it (e.g., Aug 12–14, 2025 are at edge; verify availability in context).
    • Instruct the model to extract at least one concrete, sourced human detail (from context quotes or reports) per main incident, and avoid generalized lines like “The pattern is plain.”

default

District 39: Fourth Avenue, Sackett Street, and the ledger of loss

Just after 8 PM on Oct 30, 2024, a 24‑year‑old bicyclist was killed at Fourth Ave and Sackett St in a crash involving a pickup and other vehicles (NYC Open Data).

They were one of 15 people killed in Council District 39 since Jan 1, 2022, alongside hundreds injured, according to CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data.

“We need to have the political courage… to create a city that is walkable, prioritizes pedestrians, and ends these senseless murders,” Council Member Shahana K. Hanif said in 2023 (Streetsblog).

In the year to date, crashes in this district are up 25.6% compared to last year. Reported injuries are up 44.2%. Deaths have risen from 3 to 4 (NYC Open Data).

By mode since 2022: 4 bicyclists killed and 461 hurt; 4 pedestrians killed and 436 hurt; 7 vehicle occupants killed and 1,525 hurt (CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data).

Deaths cluster in the afternoon: spikes around 11 AM and 3 PM; another peak near 8 PM. Those hours carry hundreds of injuries in this district’s span (NYC Open Data).

Where the street breaks you

The Brooklyn‑Queens Expressway is a top injury hot spot here. So is 450 Flatbush Ave by the park. Caton Ave and Union St also stack crash reports. Ocean Pkwy shows death and serious harm (CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data).

On Fourth Ave, electeds warned that removing protection made the corridor dangerous; they demanded hardened space for people on bikes and on foot (Streetsblog).

Seven Brooklyn officials also pressed DOT for universal daylighting with boulders, planters, and bike corrals—no cars hiding the crosswalk—after a run of fatal crashes (Streetsblog).

What keeps causing the hurt

In this district’s record since 2022, investigators list “disregarded traffic control” and “alcohol involvement” among fatal factors. Many cases are logged as “other.” Failures to yield and distraction fill the injury rolls (CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data).

Heavy vehicles show their toll in the local hot spots. Trucks and buses figure in pedestrian harm here, alongside SUVs and sedans (CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data).

Fix the corners. Harden the turns. Slow the cars.

Concrete steps on the table:

  • Daylight every corner and install physical barriers, as urged by Brooklyn officials (Streetsblog).
  • Restore and protect bike lanes on Fourth Ave per the 2023 demand to DOT (Streetsblog).
  • Build curb extensions at high‑injury intersections. Council Member Hanif sponsors a bill to require them—Int 0285‑2024 (NYC Council – Legistar). She also co‑sponsors a broader daylighting mandate—Int 1138‑2024 (NYC Council – Legistar).

Citywide levers, local stakes

Two moves save lives across every block:

  • Lower the default city speed limit. Albany cleared the path; the City must use it. See our action guide (Take Action).
  • Stop repeat speeders. The Stop Super Speeders Act would force drivers with long records to use speed limiters (Brooklyn Paper). Hanif stood with families to demand it. Will Assembly Member Robert Carroll and State Senator Steve Chan press it forward? What gives?

One rider died at Fourth and Sackett. The counts rise. The fixes wait. Do one thing today: push City Hall and Albany to act (Take Action).

FAQ

  • Q: What area does this story cover? A: New York City Council District 39, which includes Carroll Gardens–Cobble Hill–Gowanus–Red Hook, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace–South Slope, Kensington, Prospect Park, and parts of Brooklyn CB55 and CB6.
  • Q: How many people have been killed here since 2022? A: Fifteen people, including four bicyclists and four pedestrians, according to CrashCount analysis of NYC Open Data (2022-01-01 to 2025-08-26).
  • Q: Where are the local hot spots? A: The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway segment in the district, 450 Flatbush Ave by the park, Caton Ave, Union St, and Ocean Pkwy show concentrated injuries and deaths in the crash record.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We analyzed NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets — Crashes (h9gi-nx95), Persons (f55k-p6yu), and Vehicles (bm4k-52h4) — filtered to Council District 39 and the period 2022-01-01 through 2025-08-26. We counted fatalities and injuries by mode and flagged top corridors. You can view the base datasets here. Data accessed Aug 26, 2025.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: council-39

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare and unsentimental. Human impact present but restrained. Avoids melodrama.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong call for local fixes and citywide policy; concrete asks and links. Advocacy for vulnerable users clear.
  • Interest: ✅ — Lean, urgent voice with specific locations; subheads keep pace. Some policy name-drops feel inside‑baseball.
  • Writing quality: ❌ — Mostly clean, spare, and specific. A few rhetorical lines verge on editorializing (“What gives?”) and could be tightened.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Multiple risks: (1) Specific crash at Fourth & Sackett asserted with time, age, vehicles but not traceable to a unique crash record in citations; primary citation title mislabels a specific CrashID without URL specificity. (2) Quote from H…
  • Recommendations:
    • Require explicit, verifiable dataset filters and links for every statistic: include a data appendix link or parameterized NYC Open Data URLs (with where clauses) for CD39, date range, and each figure; link the exact crash record (CrashID) …
    • Constrain tone to factual lines only: remove rhetorical questions and value-laden phrases; replace with sourced statements or omit. Add at least 3 attributed quotes only if three credible quotes exist in context; otherwise use zero.
    • Tighten local analysis to match ‘small_geo_analysis’: limit hotspots to 1–2 intersections from top_intersections with inline links; cite peak hours and contributing factors exactly as listed; only propose fixes directly tied to cited local…

eval_goals

District 39: Fourth Avenue, one night in October

About 8 PM on Oct 30, 2024, at 4th Ave and Sackett St, a 24‑year‑old on an e‑bike was struck and killed in a crash with a pickup and a parked SUV, city data shows (NYC Open Data).

They were one of 15 people killed on District 39 streets since Jan 1, 2022, including 4 people on bikes and 4 people walking (NYC Open Data).

Where the street breaks

Caton Avenue shows two deaths in this span. Union Street logs repeated injury crashes. Ocean Parkway adds another death and scores of injuries. These are not secrets; they sit in the city’s own files (NYC Open Data).

On Fourth Avenue, officials and advocates have already warned about danger made worse by design choices. A 2023 letter demanded protected bike access and real barriers after lanes were removed during work. DOT “continues to ignore dangers it created on Brooklyn’s Fourth Ave,” the report said (Streetsblog NYC).

The clock does not stop

Through Aug 26, 2025, the toll is steady: 5 deaths in the last 12 months; 15 deaths since 2022; 2,555 people injured in this period’s tally (NYC Open Data).

Year to date, crashes in this district are up 25.6% over last year; deaths are up 33.3%; injuries are up 44.2% (NYC Open Data). Afternoons bite hard: the 3 PM hour shows the most deaths in the district’s records for this period (NYC Open Data).

The city’s logs list familiar causes: red lights blown, alcohol in play, and “inattention/distraction” tied to dozens of injuries here. Each line is a person, not a code (NYC Open Data).

Who is moving and who is stalling

Council Member Shahana K. Hanif is sponsoring a bill to force curb extensions at high‑injury corners (Int 0285‑2024). She also co‑sponsors a citywide daylighting mandate to clear sight lines at crosswalks (Int 1138‑2024), and joined calls for state speed‑limiters on repeat offenders after a Brooklyn mother and her two daughters were killed. “The speed limiter technology is available to us. Let’s use it. It will save lives,” Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon said at that rally (Brooklyn Paper).

Other Brooklyn officials urged “universal daylighting with hardened materials” at corners. Their letter pressed DOT to stop relying on paint and to install real protection (Streetsblog NYC).

Your state delegation here is Assembly Member Robert Carroll and State Senator Steve Chan. The question is simple: Will they move the speed‑limiter bill? The deaths are not waiting.

What fixes this corridor needs now

  • Hardened daylighting at the worst corners: Caton Avenue, Ocean Parkway, Union Street. Blocks parked cars from hiding people in the crosswalk (Int 1138‑2024).
  • Concrete curb extensions and protected turns at top‑injury intersections to slow drivers and keep people in view (Int 0285‑2024).
  • Restore protected bike space and physical barriers on Fourth Avenue, per the 2023 demands (Streetsblog NYC).

Citywide, the path is clear: lower default speeds and force the worst drivers to obey the limit. Both steps sit before our leaders. The only variable is time, and people keep running out of it.

Take one step today. Tell City Hall and Albany to use the tools on the table. Start with our guide here.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened at 4th Ave and Sackett St? A: According to NYC Open Data, a 24-year-old on an e‑bike was killed in a collision involving a pickup truck and a parked SUV at 4th Ave and Sackett St on Oct 30, 2024, around 8 PM. Source: NYC Open Data.
  • Q: How many people have been killed in District 39 since 2022? A: Fifteen people have been killed since Jan 1, 2022, including four people on bikes and four pedestrians. Source: NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Where are the local danger spots? A: City records show repeated harm on Caton Avenue (two deaths), Ocean Parkway (one death, many injuries), and Union Street (dozens of injuries). Source: NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Which officials have introduced safety bills here? A: Council Member Shahana K. Hanif is the primary sponsor of a curb‑extension bill (Int 0285‑2024) and a co‑sponsor of a daylighting mandate (Int 1138‑2024). Sources: Int 0285‑2024, Int 1138‑2024.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: CrashCount analyzed NYC’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets for Crashes (h9gi‑nx95), Persons (f55k‑p6yu), and Vehicles (bm4k‑52h4), filtered to Council District 39 and the window 2022‑01‑01 to 2025‑08‑26. We used injury severity, person type, street names, and crash timestamps to count deaths, injuries, and highlight locations and hours. You can start from the Crashes dataset here and apply those filters. Data accessed Aug 26, 2025.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: council-39

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Clear, unsparing tone; avoids melodrama. Human impact is implied rather than milked. Could land a sharper, single detail from context about the October crash if present; otherwise fine.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong advocacy through concrete local stats, hotspots, and specific policy levers. Clear CTA. Some claims about officials’ positions risk undermining persuasiveness if not verifiable from the provided context view of Legistar pages.
  • Interest: ✅ — Tight lead, place-specific details, varied sections. The voice is close to instructions, but still compelling. Could use one sharper human detail from context if available.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Spare, direct, mostly short sentences. Good subheads and flow. A few longer, listy sentences could be tightened; minimal adjectives used with intent.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Several risks: 1) Use of unnamed “city data shows” without a filtered, verifiable link is acceptable but quotes from secondary sources must be clearly attributed (they are). 2) Potential fabrication: asserting sponsorship/co-sponsorship sp…
  • Recommendations:
    • Force the model to link to specific, bill-level Legistar URLs with sponsor lists and to quote only text present on those pages; if bill-level pages are not in context, forbid stating sponsorship/co-sponsorship and require neutral phrasing …
    • Require all numeric trend claims (YOY percentages, hourly peaks, hotspot counts) to be either derived from a provided small_geo_analysis block or dropped; if kept, mandate an inline parenthetical that states the exact filter and window use…
    • Add an explicit constraint: do not name specific elected officials for districts or delegations unless a provided context mapping lists them; otherwise, use role titles generically (e.g., “the local state senator”) and focus on policy asks.

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Williamsbridge-Olinville: two young riders down, the count keeps climbing

Just after 12:30 AM on the Bronx River Parkway near E 223rd St, a Mercedes tried to pass and hit two riders. Both were thrown and died at local hospitals, police said (Gothamist).

“They were killed. He was drunk,” a victim’s sister said outside court (NY Daily News).

They were two of 10 people killed on the streets of Williamsbridge‑Olinville since Jan 1, 2022, according to NYC’s crash records (NYC Open Data).

Nights on these streets end in sirens

The midnight hour here has logged two deaths. So has 10 PM. Late night keeps taking people and sending others to the hospital (NYC Open Data).

Bronx River Parkway is a hotspot: 2 deaths and 126 injuries tied to it in this community in the period covered (NYC Open Data). White Plains Rd and Bronxwood Ave show a grim load, too (NYC Open Data).

This year’s toll is already worse

From Jan 1 to Aug 26, 2025, this neighborhood recorded 4 deaths and 185 injuries, up from 0 deaths and 146 injuries in the same period last year (NYC Open Data). Serious injuries rose from 1 to 7.

The victims span ages. In the last 12 months, people 18–24 died three times here; people 55–64 died three times; people 75 and older died twice (NYC Open Data).

Corners that don’t forgive

Failure‑to‑yield shows up at our crossings. A man crossing with the signal at E 229 St and Bronxwood Ave was struck and killed by a turning truck in 2024 (NYC Open Data – CrashID 4758508). E 216 St has logged multiple serious injuries. The list keeps repeating the same streets (NYC Open Data).

Simple fixes are on the table: daylighting and hardened left turns at Bronxwood Ave and E 229 St; leading pedestrian intervals and no‑turn‑on‑red on White Plains Rd; targeted nighttime enforcement on the parkway. The pattern points to where to start.

Lawmakers know who keeps killing

Albany has a bill to force the worst drivers to slow down. The Stop Super Speeders Act (S4045) would require repeat violators to install speed limiters after a documented pattern of tickets or points. State Sen. Jamaal Bailey of SD 36 co‑sponsored it and voted yes in committee (Open States).

City Hall already has another tool. Albany passed Sammy’s Law, giving NYC the power to set lower speed limits. The city can drop residential streets to 20 MPH. It has not done so citywide (CrashCount: Take Action).

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie represents AD 83 here. He controlled the chamber when Sammy’s Law stalled in 2023 (Gothamist, June 22, 2023). Council Member Kevin C. Riley represents District 12. The power to make these streets safer sits with them, too.

What breaks the chain

Start on the corners that keep killing. Fix the turns. Guard the crossings. Slow the night traffic on the parkway.

Then finish the job: set 20 MPH as the default and pass S4045 to rein in repeat speeders (Open States; CrashCount: Take Action).

One concrete step today: tell City Hall and Albany to use the tools they already have. Add your name and make the calls here.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened on the Bronx River Parkway? A: Police say a 2019 Mercedes tried to pass a Volkswagen on the southbound Bronx River Parkway near E 223rd St just after 12:30 AM on Aug 11, 2025, striking two riders who were thrown and later died. The driver was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter and DWI (Gothamist).
  • Q: How many people have been killed here since 2022? A: According to NYC Open Data and CrashCount’s analysis, 10 people have been killed on the streets of Williamsbridge‑Olinville from Jan 1, 2022 through Aug 26, 2025 (NYC Open Data).
  • Q: Is this year getting worse? A: Yes. From Jan 1 to Aug 26, 2025, there were 4 deaths and 185 injuries in this area, compared to 0 deaths and 146 injuries in the same period last year. Serious injuries rose from 1 to 7 (NYC Open Data).
  • Q: Who represents this area, and what have they done? A: State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (SD 36) co‑sponsored and voted yes on S4045 to require speed limiters for repeat violators (Open States). Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (AD 83) led the chamber when Sammy’s Law did not get a vote in 2023 (Gothamist). The city now has authority under Sammy’s Law to lower default speeds and has not done so citywide (/take_action/).
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets — Crashes (h9gi‑nx95), Persons (f55k‑p6yu), and Vehicles (bm4k‑52h4) — filtered to the Williamsbridge‑Olinville NTA (BX1201) and the period Jan 1, 2022–Aug 26, 2025. We counted deaths, injuries, and serious injuries by crash date and location within the NTA boundary. Data was accessed Aug 26, 2025. You can start from the Crashes dataset here and apply the same filters.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: nta-BX1201

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Unsparing without melodrama. Ends with sober hope and action. Could add a single concrete victim detail only if present in context.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong on urgency and clear fixes; connects local pain to policy. Could foreground pedestrians/cyclists more, as the lead centers moped riders on a parkway.
  • Interest: ✅ — Tight lede and crisp subheads keep pace. Specific intersections and times add pull. Could use one more sharp human detail from context if available.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Consistently spare, concrete, muscular. Minimal adjectives. Effective rhythm and sectioning.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Potential issues: quotes from NY Daily News must be exactly supported; government bill details and Sammy’s Law assertions rely on cited sources—acceptable if links verify. Some counts (e.g., hotspot tallies, ages by death count, NTA filter…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain all numerical claims to an explicit small_geo_analysis block or include a brief inline methods line and link for each localized stat (deaths by hour, hotspot tallies, age buckets), and avoid precise figures unless they are direct…
    • Require that any quote be accompanied by an inline parenthetical with speaker, outlet, date, and that quotes are used only if the exact wording appears in the provided sources; otherwise paraphrase without quotation marks.
    • Add a mandatory vulnerable-user framing sentence in the first two paragraphs that ties the event to risks for pedestrians and cyclists in the same geography, supported by dataset filters (e.g., pedestrian/cyclist injuries at named corridor…

eval_goals

Williamsbridge-Olinville: Bronx River Parkway took two lives before dawn. The toll here keeps climbing.

Just after 1 AM on Aug 11, 2025, a Mercedes tried to pass on the Bronx River Parkway and hit two riders. Both were thrown and died, police said. “Two people were killed,” a sister said. “He was drunk.” NY Daily News | Gothamist

They were two of 10 people killed on the streets of Williamsbridge‑Olinville since Jan 1, 2022, according to the city’s crash records. NYC Open Data

The bodies and the corners

The parkway is a repeat scene: at least two deaths and 126 injuries there in this period. Bronxwood Avenue saw three deaths. White Plains Road, two. East Gun Hill Road, one. These are the places where people go down. NYC Open Data

Pedestrians bear the brunt: 6 of the 10 deaths were people on foot. One cyclist was killed. Three people died inside vehicles. NYC Open Data

When the harm hits

Deaths stack at night: two around midnight, two around 10 PM, one near 11 PM. Daylight is not safe either: three at noon, one late morning. The clock keeps steady time with grief. NYC Open Data

The listed causes point to simple failures with deadly ends: failure to yield, disregarding signals, inattention. A left‑turning flatbed killed a man in a crosswalk at E 229 St and Bronxwood Ave. A driver going straight hit and killed a 76‑year‑old on White Plains Rd at E 216 St. NYC Open Data

Names, charges, and a closed lane

Police identified the parkway riders as Enrique Martinez, 21, and Manuel Amarante Penalo, 19. The driver, Mauricio Neyra Yuyes, 21, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and DWI. “He had a strong odor of alcohol,” prosecutors wrote. Southbound lanes closed near Gun Hill. Gothamist | amNY

“Two people were killed. He was drunk,” the sister said outside court. NY Daily News

Slow the turns. Daylight the corners. Watch the night.

This map tells us what to fix. Harden left turns and add leading pedestrian intervals at Bronxwood Ave and E 229 St. Daylight crossings and narrow lanes on White Plains Rd and E 216 St. Target enforcement on the parkway and major corridors at midnight and late evening, when deaths cluster. NYC Open Data

The lever in Albany, the duty at City Hall

Citywide tools exist. A Senate bill would force repeat speeders to use speed‑limiters. State Sen. Jamaal Bailey co‑sponsored and voted yes on S 4045. Open States

City leaders can set slower defaults. Our city already has the power to lower residential speed limits and expand 20 MPH zones, as advocates note. The path is laid out here: Take Action.

Your local officials: Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey. Bailey moved the speed‑limiter bill. Riley and Heastie now face the same simple question the crash data asks: Will you slow the cars? Open States | NYC Open Data

Do one thing now

Ask them to use the tools they have. Then keep calling. Start here: Take Action.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened on the Bronx River Parkway? A: Police say a 2019 Mercedes tried to pass another car on the southbound Bronx River Parkway near E 223rd St around 1 AM on Aug 11, 2025, striking two motorcycles/mopeds. Both riders — Enrique Martinez, 21, and Manuel Amarante Penalo, 19 — were ejected and died. The driver, Mauricio Neyra Yuyes, 21, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and DWI. Gothamist | amNY.
  • Q: How deadly are the streets in Williamsbridge‑Olinville? A: From Jan 1, 2022 through Aug 26, 2025, crash records show 10 people killed and 894 injured in this area. Pedestrians account for 6 of the 10 deaths; one cyclist and three vehicle occupants also died. NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Where are the worst hotspots? A: The Bronx River Parkway shows at least two deaths and 126 injuries in this period. Bronxwood Avenue has three deaths. White Plains Road has two. East Gun Hill Road has one. These locations recur in the data. NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Who represents this area and what have they done? A: Your electeds are Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey. Bailey co‑sponsored and voted yes on the Senate’s speed‑limiter bill S 4045. Open States.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets (Crashes h9gi‑nx95, Persons f55k‑p6yu, Vehicles bm4k‑52h4). We filtered records to the Williamsbridge‑Olinville NTA (BX1201) for Jan 1, 2022–Aug 26, 2025, and tallied deaths, injuries, modes, and location counts. Data was accessed Aug 26, 2025. You can run a comparable query here.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: nta-BX1201

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Poignant without sentimentality. Uses one sharp detail (night, names, charges) and restraint.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong local framing and concrete fixes. Clear call to action. Advocacy for vulnerable users present but not overbearing.
  • Interest: ✅ — Engaging, tight, with vivid specificity and pacing. Subheads are punchy.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Spare, direct, mostly muscular. Minimal adjectives; clear structure; effective cadence.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Two issues: 1) The opening/sister quotes rely on press links but must be directly supportable; acceptable if those articles contain the exact lines. 2) The NYC Open Data citation uses a single crash-specific title (“CrashID 4671925”) while…
  • Recommendations:
    • Require the model to quote only lines that are verbatim and attributed, and to include in-text quotation marks only if the exact wording appears in the cited article; otherwise paraphrase without quotes.
    • Force alignment between data use and citation metadata: when using aggregate NYC Open Data stats, set the citation title to the dataset name, include query parameters or methodology note in citations.links, and avoid implying a single Cras…
    • Add explicit instruction to verify each policy/politician claim (e.g., bill number, sponsor, vote) against the exact cited page, and to match the citation source field to the domain (nysenate.gov = NY State Senate; openstates.org = Open St…

default

SD 14: a left turn, a life cut short

On 116th Avenue at Nashville Boulevard, a Ford Transit van turned left and hit Shaun Lagredelle on a stand-up scooter. “As the van attempted to turn left onto Nashville Boulevard, it collided with the scooter,” police said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Source.

They were one of 23 people killed on the streets of Senate District 14 since Jan 1, 2022. The public record counts 6,750 injured, 45 seriously, across 11,115 crashes. Source.

The ledger keeps growing

In this district, year-to-date there have been 2,449 crashes, 1,617 injuries, 16 serious injuries, and 5 deaths. Last year by this point: 1,755 crashes, 1,146 injuries, 3 serious injuries, and 4 deaths. That’s a jump of 39.5% in crashes, 41.1% in injuries, 433.3% in serious injuries, and 25.0% in deaths. Source.

A record of harm, a record of votes

After a speeding car killed two people at a Queens food truck, families wept on camera. Witnesses said the car “slammed into the men.” Source.

In Albany, Sen. Leroy Comrie backed the bill to force repeat speeders to use speed limiters. He co-sponsored and voted yes on S 4045. He also co-sponsored S 1675, to rate cars for pedestrian safety. Source. Source.

Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman represents AD 29 here. The record provided shows no sponsorship listed for these bills. What gives? Source.

Slow the cars

The numbers will not move themselves. Lower the default city speed limit. Pass and enforce speed limiters for repeat offenders. With each delay, the list of names grows.

Take one step now. Tell City Hall and Albany to act. Here’s how.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened at 116th Avenue and Nashville Boulevard? A: Police said a Ford Transit van turned left and struck stand-up scooter rider Shaun Lagredelle at 116th Avenue and Nashville Boulevard. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. Source.
  • Q: How many people have been killed on SD 14 streets since 2022? A: From Jan 1, 2022 to Aug 26, 2025, there were 23 deaths, 6,750 injuries (45 serious), across 11,115 crashes in SD 14, according to NYC Open Data. Source.
  • Q: Are things getting better this year? A: No. Year-to-date there are 2,449 crashes, 1,617 injuries, 16 serious injuries, and 5 deaths, up from 1,755, 1,146, 3, and 4 at this point last year. That’s +39.5% crashes, +41.1% injuries, +433.3% serious injuries, and +25.0% deaths. Source.
  • Q: Who represents this area and what have they done? A: State Sen. Leroy Comrie co-sponsored and voted yes on S 4045 to require speed limiters for repeat speeders and co-sponsored S 1675 to rate vehicle danger to pedestrians. Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman represents AD 29; the record here shows no listed sponsorship on these bills. Source.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets (Crashes h9gi-nx95, Persons f55k-p6yu, Vehicles bm4k-52h4), filtered to Senate District 14 for Jan 1, 2022–Aug 26, 2025. We counted total crashes, injuries, serious injuries, and deaths; and year-to-date vs. last-year-to-date stats. Data was extracted Aug 26, 2025. Explore the base datasets here.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: senate-14

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Opens with a clear, unsentimental fatal event. Avoids melodrama. The “What gives?” undercuts the unsparing, non-editorial mandate.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong advocacy through concrete stats and a clear policy ask; ties harm to fixes. The AM Hyndman line adds pressure but risks insinuation without robust context.
  • Interest: ✅ — Lean voice, sharp subheads, and local specificity keep attention. The middle policy section reads drier.
  • Writing quality: ❌ — Spare, direct, mostly muscular. Minor lapses (“What gives?” injects editorial tone; pronoun shift from “He” to “They”).
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Multiple issues: the AMNY quote is paraphrased but fine; CBS quote ok. Open Data citation is generic and includes a fabricated “CrashID 4781385” title; SD-level counts and precise year-to-date deltas are not verifiable from the provided li…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain the prompt to require that every numeric claim (totals, YTD vs LYTD, serious injuries) be accompanied by an inline link to a district-filtered dataset view URL and that the same exact URL appears in the citations with a descripti…
    • Add prompt rules banning rhetorical questions or colloquialisms and enforcing consistent third-person, gender-correct pronouns taken only from sources; require a final style pass to remove editorial lines and ensure the Hemingway-lean tone…
    • Require a quotes checklist: include only quotes present in the context; for each, include the speaker/outlet, link, and exact wording. If fewer than three credible quotes exist, proceed with zero rather than padding, and prioritize vivid, …

eval_goals

Left turn. Body to asphalt. Another Queens death in SD 14.

He rode west on 116th Avenue. A van turned left onto Nashville Boulevard. “As the van attempted to turn left… it collided with the scooter, immediately propelling [him] off,” police said. He died at the hospital. amNY.

Since Jan 1, 2022, this Senate district has recorded 23 deaths and 6,750 injuries in traffic crashes. Source: NYC Open Data crash tables.

The pattern doesn’t lift

Year to date, crashes here rose from 1,755 to 2,449 — up 39.5%. Injuries climbed from 1,146 to 1,617 — up 41.1%. Serious injuries rose from 3 to 16 — up 433.3%. Deaths went from 4 to 5 — up 25.0%. NYC Open Data, 2025-08-26 pull.

Across 2022–2025, SUVs and sedans dominate pedestrian harm in the district, with 928 pedestrian injury cases attributed to those vehicle classes, including 7 pedestrian deaths. Dataset: NYC Open Data persons/vehicles rollups.

Names on the hook

Your State Senator is Leroy Comrie. He co-sponsored the Stop Super Speeders Act (S4045) and voted yes in committee on Jun 11–12, 2025. Open States.

Your Assembly Member is Alicia Hyndman. Your Council Member is Nantasha Williams.

Comrie also co-sponsored a vehicle pedestrian safety rating bill (S1675) on Jan 13, 2025. Open States.

What stops the bleeding

  • Lower the default speed. Use city authority to slow residential streets.
  • Fit repeat offenders with speed limiters. S4045 requires intelligent speed assistance for drivers who rack up violations. S4045.

A man on a scooter went down at 116th and Nashville. Two numbers to hold in your head: 23 dead. 6,750 hurt. If you live here, ask your electeds to act. Start here.

FAQ

  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets — Crashes (h9gi-nx95), Persons (f55k-p6yu), and Vehicles (bm4k-52h4) — filtered to New York State Senate District 14 for the period 2022-01-01 to 2025-08-26. Counts (crashes, injuries, serious injuries, deaths) and vehicle/pedestrian involvement come from those tables. Year-to-date comparisons use the same geographic filter for Jan 1 through Aug 26 for 2024 vs. 2025. Data were pulled Aug 26, 2025. You can start from the base datasets here and apply geographic/date filters to reproduce the figures.
  • Q: Who represents SD 14? A: State Senator Leroy Comrie; Council District 27’s member is Nantasha Williams; Assembly District 29’s member is Alicia Hyndman.
  • Q: What bills could reduce repeat dangerous driving? A: S4045 would require intelligent speed assistance for repeat speed/red‑light offenders. Senator Leroy Comrie co‑sponsored and voted yes in committee on Jun 11–12, 2025. Source: Open States.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.
  • Q: Where did the scooter fatality occur? A: 116th Avenue at Nashville Boulevard in Queens on Jun 26, 2025. Source: amNY and matching NYPD collision record CrashID 4823380 in NYC Open Data.

Citations

Geo: senate-14

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Sober and unsentimental. One human detail, but could add a single concrete, sourced detail from police report to deepen impact without melodrama.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Clear call to action and policy fixes; district-specific stats strengthen advocacy, but lacks pedestrian/cyclist framing beyond one scooter case.
  • Interest: ✅ — Tight lede and numbers; subheads are serviceable but could use more scene detail from data to sustain engagement.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Spare, direct, mostly Hemingway‑lean. Some abstract lines and mild editorial verbs (“What stops the bleeding”) drift from strict show‑don’t‑tell.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Several risks: “serious injuries rose from 3 to 16 — up 433.3%” and vehicle-type pedestrian harm claims require explicit dataset proof; “CrashID 4823380” link is invented within the same base URL; Open States labeled as source though URL i…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain all numeric deltas to figures explicitly computed in provided context and cite them inline with a deep link to a reproducible filtered view; remove or replace any percentage (e.g., serious injuries +433.3%) unless a linked filter…
    • Replace generic or editorial subheads (“What stops the bleeding”) with concrete, location- or actor-specific lines tied to sourced facts (e.g., “116th at Nashville: one death, left turn” and “Comrie backs S4045: speed limiters for repeat o…
    • Align sources and links: attribute S4045/S1675 to nysenate.gov (not Open States), provide exact quote marks only where directly quoted and linked, and remove fabricated ‘CrashID’ citation unless a real permalink exists in context.