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

Source summary: tmp/experiments/20250824-113038/summary.json

GeoVariantTitleWordsQuotesLinksUnmatched DomainsAuto PassEditor Score
citywide-nycdefaultNew York City: Queens mornings. Bronx nights. The toll keeps climbing.49241005
citywide-nycmonolithicNew York City: Queens nights. Bronx mornings. The toll keeps coming.49910706
council-39defaultDistrict 39: Slow Violence on Everyday Streets54411905
council-39monolithicDistrict 39: Blood on the Corners, Silence from the Dais5024404
nta-qn0602defaultForest Hills: Speed, flight, and bodies on the pavement58261407
nta-qn0602monolithicForest Hills: Men Killed at a Food Cart. Another Left to Die by JFK. The Clock Still Runs.636101006
senate-23defaultDead Streets of SD 2362411906
senate-23monolithicSD 23: Streets That Break Bodies, Laws That Lag60691005

default

New York City: Queens mornings. Bronx nights. The toll keeps climbing.

Queens: curb, cart, impact

An 84‑year‑old driver hit a food cart in Astoria. He died. So did two men at the stand. Police named them as Joaquin Venancio‑Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70. Witnesses said a speeding car “slammed into the men.” The driver had suffered a stroke two weeks earlier, and, according to amNY, had been told by a doctor not to drive. amNY and CBS New York reported the scene and the losses.

Hours later, before dawn in Springfield Gardens, a driver hit a 52‑year‑old crossing at 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue and fled. The man died at Jamaica Hospital. Police said they were looking for the driver. Gothamist reported the borough’s toll: 17 traffic deaths this year through Aug. 10 in Queens South.

Bronx River Parkway: two breaths, no second chance

Southbound on the parkway, two mopeds going straight. Two sedans also southbound. Impact. Ejection. Two young riders, 21 and 19, died. The city dataset lists the machines as 2023 models, unlicensed operators, both ejected. Collision points: center back ends of the mopeds, front ends of the cars. This is all in the city’s crash log, CrashID 4834345. NYC Open Data.

Midtown to Union Square: money and promises

Next year, the city says it will redesign 14th Street. The aim, said NY1, is to “improve the pedestrian experience.” It’s a $3 million design budget: $2 million public, $1 million from two BIDs. Streets change when money moves. NY1.

A line of bodies the stats can’t soften

In the last 12 months, NYC logged 52,671 crashes, 32,764 injuries, and 182 deaths. SUVs and cars lead the harm to people on foot: 4,780 pedestrian injuries and 69 deaths tied to them. The numbers sit cold in the city’s own totals. NYC Open Data.

Voices from the wreckage

“Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers as he purposefully drove the wrong way,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said after an expressway rampage. A judge gave him eight years. Lee admitted he entered “in the wrong direction because I wanted to hurt people.” These are their words in court. amNY.

What must change

  • Lower the default speed limit citywide to 20 mph. Albany passed Sammy’s Law. The city can set safer speeds now. Take action.
  • Force the worst repeat offenders to slow down. The Stop Super Speeders Act would mandate speed limiters for drivers with extreme camera or point records. Details and contacts.

Act while the paint is still wet and the blood is still fresh. Take action.

FAQ

  • Q: Who was killed in the Astoria food cart crash? A: Police identified Joaquin Venancio‑Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70, as the pedestrians killed. The 84‑year‑old driver also died, per amNY and CBS New York.
  • Q: What do city numbers show right now? A: In the last 12 months: 52,671 crashes, 32,764 injuries, and 182 deaths, according to NYC Open Data.
  • Q: What happened on the Bronx River Parkway? A: Two moped drivers, ages 21 and 19, were ejected and killed in a multi‑vehicle southbound crash logged as CrashID 4834345 on NYC Open Data.
  • 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: What can I do right now? A: Push the city to lower speeds to 20 mph and back speed limiters for repeat offenders. Start here: /take_action/.

Citations

Geo: citywide-nyc

monolithic

New York City: Queens nights. Bronx mornings. The toll keeps coming.

Speed wins. People die. 182 New Yorkers are gone since Jan. 2022–Aug. 24, 2025 from reported crashes, with 32,764 injured in the same span of data. The ledger keeps growing.

Queens, before dawn

A driver hit a 52-year-old man at 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue. The driver fled. Police said the man was taken to Jamaica Hospital and pronounced dead. Detectives were looking into it. “Police were looking early Wednesday for a driver they said struck and killed a man in Queens before fleeing the scene,” police said. The crossing was near JFK at 2:30 a.m. “The driver hit the 52-year-old man as he crossed” and left.

Astoria, morning

An 84-year-old Toyota driver lost control on 19th Avenue and 42nd Street. He died. Two men at a food cart died. Police named them: Joaquin Venancio‑Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70. “Three people are dead after a senior driver hopped a curb and mowed down two pedestrians,” amNY reported. Witnesses told TV the car “slammed into the men,” CBS said.

Bronx, night

A 44-year-old woman was hit off the roadway at Macombs Road and West 174th Street. The record lists “Driver Inattention/Distraction” and “Crush Injuries.” She died there. One line in a database. One family erased. City data shows it as CrashID 4833327.

Highways, wrong way

On the Clearview Expressway, a man turned north into southbound lanes and hit five cars. “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers,” the Queens DA said. “Two motorists were badly hurt and still have not fully recovered.” He told police why he did it: “I entered the Clearview Expressway in the wrong direction because I wanted to hurt people and I felt ‘liberated’ by what I had done.” He also said to a victim, “You want to fight?” The judge gave him eight years, amNY reported.

The street keeps taking

Moped riders ejected on the Bronx River Parkway. Parked cars crushed in Astoria. Pedestrians pinned at a food truck. The numbers repeat. SUVs and cars are the main blade. The clock never stops.

What fixes the killing

Albany and City Hall moved on pieces. Cameras stayed on around the clock through 2030, advocates say. But speed still rules the lane. The city now has the power to set safer limits. Lower the default speed limit citywide. Stop the repeat offenders with intelligent speed assistance for plates that rack up violations. Slow the metal and lives will outlast the light.

Take one step now. Tell City Hall to drop the limit and back speed limiters. Do it today at our take action page.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened near JFK in Springfield Gardens? A: Police said a driver hit a 52-year-old man crossing 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue around 2:30 a.m., then fled. The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital and pronounced dead. Detectives from the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad are investigating, according to Gothamist’s report.
  • Q: What do we know about the Astoria food truck crash? A: Police and press reports say an 84-year-old Toyota driver lost control at 19th Avenue and 42nd Street, killing himself and two men at a food cart: Joaquin Venancio‑Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70. Witnesses told CBS the car “slammed into the men.”
  • Q: What types of vehicles caused injuries and deaths to pedestrians in New York City? A: Cars and Trucks: SUVs and cars caused 69 pedestrian deaths and 4,689 injuries; trucks and buses caused 15 deaths and 424 injuries. Motorcycles and Mopeds: motorcycles and mopeds caused 3 deaths and 158 injuries. Bikes: bicycles caused 2 deaths and 230 injuries. Figures are from the current period rollup in the data.
  • Q: What does it take to change traffic laws here? A: Real change takes both city and state. Local street redesigns and speed-limit choices need the City Council and the mayor. State tools like automated enforcement and broader mandates require bills to pass the State Assembly and Senate and be signed by the Governor. Local officials can push, but they can’t act alone.
  • 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

default

District 39: Slow Violence on Everyday Streets

District 39 bleeds. Since 2022, crashes here killed four people and injured 589 more, across 1,003 wrecks. The count is cold. The pain is not (NYC Open Data).

Where it breaks

The Brooklyn‑Queens Expressway leads the harm: 45 injuries and a death. Ocean Parkway adds a death and 17 hurt. A 71‑year‑old cyclist died on Center Drive in Prospect Park. A 38‑year‑old woman died at 319 Ditmas Ave. On Avenue C at Ocean Parkway, an SUV left a woman with head trauma at 1:02 a.m. (NYC Open Data).

Injury peaks after dark. Midnight hits bring 45 injuries and two serious wounds. Evening hours stack more hurt, with another 45 injuries at 6 p.m. The clock marks the risk. The street does the rest (NYC Open Data).

Who gets hit

People outside the car take the blow. Cyclists: 105 injured, one killed. Pedestrians: 94 injured, one killed. SUVs and cars are in most pedestrian hits — 82 cases, including a death and a serious injury. Trucks and buses add more wounds (NYC Open Data).

The data names patterns. “Other” driver behavior dominates the harm. Distraction, failure to yield, bad passing trail behind. Speed shows in the bodies even when the box says little. The street does not care for forms (NYC Open Data).

What officials know

Advocates and lawmakers have begged for clear corners and safer turns. Seven Brooklyn electeds pressed DOT for universal daylighting with hardened barriers. A bill would force curb extensions at dangerous intersections. Another would ban parking near crosswalks and build 1,000 daylighted corners a year. The letters and hearings pile up. The crashes keep coming.

One more tool sits on the table. Council Member Shahana Hanif joined a rally to pass the Stop Super Speeders bill, which would require repeat offenders to install speed limiters (Brooklyn Paper).

What to fix now

  • Daylight the corners on Ocean Parkway, McDonald Ave, and Seventh Ave. Use barriers, not paint (Streetsblog).
  • Build curb extensions at the district’s top crash sites, including approaches to the BQE ramps and the Ocean Parkway crossings (Legistar).
  • Target late‑night hotspots with hard engineering and focused enforcement on repeat offenders (NYC Open Data).

Citywide steps that save lives

Albany gave NYC the power to drop speeds. Use it. Set a 20 mph default on local streets. Mandate speed limiters for chronic speeders. These are not theories. They are switches within reach. Flip them. The toll of names will slow when the streets do (CrashCount Take Action; Brooklyn Paper).

Take one step today. Ask City Hall and your Council Member to act: slow the speed, stop the carnage.

FAQ

  • Q: Where are the worst crash spots in District 39? A: The BQE segment in the district leads with 45 injuries and a death, and Ocean Parkway adds a death and 17 injuries. Center Drive in Prospect Park and 319 Ditmas Ave each saw a fatal crash. Sources: NYC Open Data crash tables.
  • Q: When are crashes most likely? A: Late night and evening. Midnight hour shows 45 injuries with two serious. 6 p.m. also shows 45 injuries. Source: NYC Open Data hourly distribution.
  • Q: What types of vehicles most often hurt pedestrians here? A: SUVs and cars are involved in 82 pedestrian injury cases, including one death and one serious injury. Source: NYC Open Data persons and vehicle rollups.
  • 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: What can I do right now? A: Ask city leaders to drop local speed limits to 20 mph and back speed limiters for repeat offenders. Start here: /take_action/.

Citations

Geo: council-39

monolithic

District 39: Blood on the Corners, Silence from the Dais

Deaths stack up across District 39. Four people are dead since 2022. 589 are hurt. This is not a spike. It’s a grind.

Where it breaks

  • Ocean Parkway and the BQE lead the body count. They are our top hotspots. The BQE logged the most injuries. Ocean Parkway took a pedestrian and left others broken.
  • In Prospect Park, a 71‑year‑old on a bike went down on Center Drive and died. The city record lists only lost consciousness. No car. No charges. Only the end.
  • Another driver died on the BQE in January. Two more deaths followed this year.

When it breaks

  • The pain rises after dark. Midnight to 1 a.m. is hot. 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. see serious harm. Evening brings another crush at 6 p.m. The night hides people. The streets don’t forgive.

What hits us

  • SUVs and cars hurt the most people on foot: 1 pedestrian killed, 81 injured. Trucks and buses add more wounds. Bikes, mopeds, and motorcycles also injure, but far less.
  • The causes named most here are “other,” distraction, and failures at the light. The result is the same: body to metal. Sirens. Next of kin.

The record we can’t ignore

  • A man fell on the tracks in East New York and died. Police said, “No criminality is suspected in either case.” Daily News.
  • In Bushwick, a driver hit a man and dragged him more than 50 feet. Police said they were seeking the car. “It was not immediately clear whether the man was walking in a crosswalk, or who had the right of way.Gothamist.
  • The city kept ticketing cyclists for a legal move. The lawsuit aims to stop it. “This action seeks to ensure the NYPD finally follows the law…Streetsblog.

Local fixes we can do now

  • Daylight corners on Ocean Parkway and along McDonald Ave. Clear the sight lines. Harden them.
  • LPIs and hardened turns at Ocean Parkway crossings and Center Drive gates. Give walkers the head start. Slow the lefts.
  • Night operations: lighting upgrades and targeted speeding checks from midnight to 2 a.m. at the BQE feeders and Ocean Parkway merges.

Political work that stops the bleeding

  • Drop the city’s default speed to 20 mph. The city has the power. Use it.
  • Pass a speed‑limiter mandate for repeat offenders. Local leaders here have backed the push after fatal crashes. The point is simple: the car should not outrun the law.

These are policy levers. Pull them, or keep counting bodies on Fourth Avenue, Ocean Parkway, and the BQE.

Take one step now. Tell City Hall to slow the city and rein in repeat speeders on our take action page. The next siren should not be for someone you know.

FAQ

  • Q: Which areas are in District 39? A: It includes the Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Gowanus-Red Hook, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace-South Slope, Kensington, Prospect Park, Brooklyn CB55, and Brooklyn CB6. It also overlaps parts of AD 44, AD 51, AD 52, SD 17, SD 20, SD 22, and SD 26.
  • Q: Where does District 39 sit politically? A: It belongs to borough Brooklyn, assembly district AD 44 and state senate district SD 17.
  • Q: Which politicians should I contact to fix things in District 39? A: Contact Assembly Member Robert Carroll and State Senator Steve Chan. You can also press your City Council member for action on design fixes and slower speeds.
  • Q: What types of vehicles caused injuries and deaths to pedestrians in District 39? A: • Cars and Trucks: 1 death and 82 injuries. • Motorcycles and Mopeds: 0 deaths and 3 injuries. • Bikes: 0 deaths and 4 injuries.
  • Q: What does it take to change traffic laws here? A: Real change takes both city and state. Local changes like street redesigns need support from the area’s council member, passage by the City Council, and the mayor’s signature. State tools like speed cameras or automated enforcement need Albany: a bill must pass the State Assembly and Senate and be signed by the Governor. Local officials can advocate, but they can’t act alone.
  • Q: What is the New York City Council and how does it work? A: It is the city’s legislature. Members pass local laws and oversee agencies. Bills need a Council vote and the mayor’s signature to become law.
  • 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

default

Forest Hills: Speed, flight, and bodies on the pavement

Two men stood at a Queens food cart. A car came fast. It hit them, then the truck. Two pedestrians died. The driver died too. That’s what police and reporters said on Aug. 13. Witnesses told TV the car “slammed into the men,” as CBS put it the same day (CBS New York).

Hours later in Springfield Gardens, a 52‑year‑old man tried to cross 155th Street at South Conduit Avenue. A driver hit him and took off. He died at the hospital. Police say the search is ongoing (Gothamist; ABC7).

In Forest Hills, a 33‑year‑old cyclist and a taxi stopped in traffic met on Metropolitan Avenue at 71st Avenue. The cyclist was hurt. The city’s crash file logs it as an injury, with the taxi stopped and the bike going straight (NYC Open Data).

Queens prosecutors called another case what it was. “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers,” DA Melinda Katz said, after a man drove the wrong way on the Clearview and hit five cars. Two motorists “were badly hurt and still have not fully recovered.” A judge gave him eight years (amNY).

The pattern on these blocks

  • Pedestrians keep taking the hit. Recent local records show people on foot injured at intersections, including an 82‑year‑old struck while a driver was backing on 102nd Street at 67th Road (NYC Open Data). A teen was hit by a turning bus at Yellowstone Blvd and Burns Street while crossing with the signal, tagged “driver inattention” in the file (same source).
  • Night brings risk. A man died crossing by JFK at about 2:30 a.m., and the driver fled (Gothamist).

What would help here

  • Daylighting at corners like Metropolitan Ave and 71st Ave; 67th Rd and 102nd St. Protect the view. Harden the turns. Give pedestrians the head start with LPIs. These are standard steps.
  • Target turning and backing violations where the city’s own files cite inattention and unsafe backing (same dataset).

The laws on the table

  • Lower the default speed. Albany passed Sammy’s Law. The city can set 20 mph on local streets now. Ask them to use it. Here’s how to take action.
  • Stop the repeat offenders. Lawmakers advanced a bill to force speed limiters on chronic violators. The Senate version moved through committees in June (S 4045). The Assembly bill targets the same problem (A 7979).

One more body, one more bruise

Police said the JFK driver ran. The Forest Hills cyclist hit a taxi’s door zone and walked away hurt. The food cart men never made it home. On the expressway, a man drove into cars on purpose. “You want to fight?” he said to a victim, according to court records. “I wanted to hurt people,” he told police (amNY).

Slow the cars. Force the worst drivers to stop speeding. Do it before the next mother gets the call. Start here: act now.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened at the Queens food cart? A: Two pedestrians were hit and killed when a speeding car struck them and a food truck; the driver also died, according to amNY and CBS on Aug. 13, 2025.
  • Q: Was there a recent hit-and-run near JFK? A: Yes. Police say a driver hit a 52-year-old man crossing 155th Street at South Conduit Avenue around 2:30 a.m. and fled. The man died at the hospital.
  • Q: Are local pedestrians getting hurt at intersections? A: Yes. NYC’s crash files show pedestrian injuries at corners like 67th Rd/102nd St (unsafe backing) and Yellowstone Blvd/Burns St (driver inattention while turning).
  • Q: What policies could stop repeat speeding? A: The Senate advanced S 4045 to require intelligent speed assistance for chronic violators; a companion bill A 7979 is in the Assembly.
  • 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-qn0602

monolithic

Forest Hills: Men Killed at a Food Cart. Another Left to Die by JFK. The Clock Still Runs.

Blood on the sidewalk, coffee splashed across the steel cart. Two men ordered food. A car came fast. Three people died.

amNY said the car “careened at a high speed into a nearby food truck, ramming into two men.” Police named the dead: Joaquin Venancio-Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70, and the 84-year-old driver. CBS New York put it plain: “Two pedestrians were hit and killed while ordering from a food truck in Queens.” Witnesses said a “speeding car slammed into the men.” The station reported it.

Hours go quiet. Streets don’t. Near JFK, a driver hit a 52-year-old crossing 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue, then fled. “The operator of the vehicle fled the scene after hitting the man,” ABC7 reported. Gothamist wrote that detectives were looking and the man died at Jamaica Hospital. They counted.

Another day, another highway built for speed. A Queens judge heard a different kind of wreckage: a man who turned his car into a weapon on the Clearview. “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers as he purposefully drove the wrong way,” the Queens DA said. Lee told police he “entered the Clearview Expressway in the wrong direction because I wanted to hurt people and I felt ‘liberated’ by what I had done.” amNY reported the quotes and the eight-year sentence. Two motorists were badly hurt. “Still have not fully recovered,” the DA said.

Neighborhood ledger

  • At Metropolitan Ave and 71 Ave, a taxi and a bike crossed paths. A 33-year-old cyclist was injured. The taxi was “stopped in traffic.” The bike went straight. City data logs it.
  • On Burns St at Yellowstone Blvd, a 16-year-old crossing with the signal was struck by a turning bus. Severe cuts. “Driver inattention.”
  • On 67 Rd at 102 St, an 82-year-old pedestrian at the intersection was hit by a backing car. Fracture. “Backing unsafely.”

The clock face is blank. Our dataset shows no single peak hour here; deaths and injuries appear at all times. Night still hides killers. So do driveways and blind corners. Seniors take the hit at corners. Heavy vehicles appear in the mix: buses turn, taxis stop, sedans surge.

Fix the corners

  • Daylight the crosswalks on Yellowstone, 71 Ave, and 102 St. Pull parking back. Make people visible.
  • Harden left turns at Burns St and on Queens Boulevard feeders. Slow turning buses and SUVs.
  • LPIs and leading ped phases at the busy crossings. Give walkers the head start.
  • Targeted night enforcement and lighting near South Conduit and service roads.

Law and consequence

Albany renewed 24-hour school-zone speed cameras through 2030. Local senators voted yes. See the votes. Another bill would go at the worst repeat offenders. The Senate moved S 4045, requiring speed limiters for drivers who pile up violations; local senators voted yes in committee. Read S 4045. In the Assembly, A 7979 mirrors the push for intelligent speed assistance. See A 7979.

These streets won’t fix themselves. Lower the default speed limit citywide under Sammy’s Law authority. Force repeat speeders to install limiters. The men at the cart are gone. The man by JFK is gone. The map remembers.

What you can do

Tell City Hall and Albany to act. Ask for a 20 mph default and speed limiters for repeat offenders. Take action. Do it today. Tomorrow is already late.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened at the Queens food cart? A: Two pedestrians—Joaquin Venancio-Mendez, 41, and Santiago Baires, 70—were killed when a car slammed into a food truck in Queens. amNY reported the car “careened at a high speed” into the cart, and CBS New York said witnesses called it a “speeding car” that “slammed into the men.” Sources: amNY and CBS New York.
  • Q: What do we know about the JFK hit-and-run? A: A 52-year-old man crossing near 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue was struck and killed around 2:30 a.m. The driver fled. “The operator of the vehicle fled the scene after hitting the man,” ABC7 reported. Gothamist said detectives were investigating and the man died at Jamaica Hospital. Sources: ABC7 and Gothamist.
  • Q: What types of vehicles caused injuries and deaths to pedestrians in qn0602? A: According to current data provided, there are 0 total deaths and injuries recorded in this period breakdown. By group: Cars and Trucks: 0; Motorcycles and Mopeds: 0; Bikes: 0.
  • Q: What does it take to change traffic laws here? A: Real change often needs both city and state. Street redesigns and local rules need backing from your council member, passage by the City Council, and the mayor’s signature. State tools like automated enforcement and speed limiters require Albany: a bill must pass the State Assembly and Senate and be signed by the Governor, as with S 4045 and A 7979. Local officials can push, but they can’t act alone.
  • 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-qn0602

default

Dead Streets of SD 23

Port Richmond. Bay Street. Hylan Boulevard. The names keep coming.

Night crash, Port Richmond

A 13-year-old on a moped hit an MTA bus on Castleton Avenue around 1 a.m. He was thrown. He suffered a severe head injury. Police said the boy was in critical condition at Richmond University Medical Center. The bus driver and three riders were not hurt. No arrests. The Highway District is investigating, according to ABC7 and amNY. The MTA said the moped blew a stop sign and struck the bus, per amNY.

Bay Street, K‑turn, a life ends

On July 5, police said a Toyota made a K‑turn across Bay Street. Jeremy Claudio, 34, riding a Suzuki, hit the driver-side door. EMS took him to the hospital. He died. No arrests. The Collision Investigation Squad is on it, reported amNY and detailed in city crash data CrashID 4825308.

Hylan Boulevard, an elder down

An 80-year-old man was killed at Hylan Boulevard and Benton Avenue. A Ford SUV was going straight. He died of head trauma, the dataset shows CrashID 4797079. The corner stayed busy. Borough officials later said confused bus lane signs on Hylan have fed crashes; one called it “one accident every four days,” per amNY.

Sheepshead Bay, a bus turn, a body pinned

An MTA bus made a left at East 12th Street and Avenue Z. Police said an 87-year-old man stood near the corner. The bus hit him and pinned him under the chassis. He was rushed to NYU Langone Brooklyn in critical condition. The driver stayed. The bus was out of service, reported Gothamist.

The toll of the year

In SD 23 since January 1, 2025: 2,057 crashes, 1,259 injured, 12 seriously hurt, 5 dead. Seniors took the worst of it: two deaths among those 75+, one at 55–64, one at 25–34, one at 18–24. These figures come from our district rollup for the period through Aug. 24, 2025.

The pattern, again

  • Late night. A boy thrown from a moped at Castleton and Park. ABC7, amNY
  • Afternoon. A K‑turn across live lanes on Bay Street. One rider never made it home. amNY, CrashID 4825308
  • Morning. An elder at a cross street on Hylan. A front end meets a human body. CrashID 4797079
  • Evening. A bus turn in Sheepshead Bay. An 87-year-old under a 20-ton vehicle. Gothamist

Power chooses

Speed keeps killing. Albany moved one thing: a bill to force speed limiters on repeat offenders advanced. Senator Jessica Scarcella‑Spanton voted yes in committee on S4045, according to Open States. The city’s 24‑hour school‑zone speed cameras were renewed over local no votes, noted by Streetsblog NYC.

Make it stop

  • Lower speeds on every block. Use Sammy’s Law. Make 20 mph the rule. See our call to act: Take Action.
  • Pass and enforce speed limiters for repeat speeders statewide. Back S4045.

FAQ

  • Q: Where did these crashes happen? A: Port Richmond (Castleton Ave and Park Ave), Bay Street near Norwood Ave, Hylan Blvd at Benton Ave, and East 12th St at Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay. Sources: ABC7, amNY, Gothamist, and NYC Open Data.
  • Q: How many people were hurt or killed in SD 23 this year to date? A: Through Aug. 24, 2025: 2,057 crashes, 1,259 injuries, 12 serious injuries, 5 deaths. From CrashCount’s district stats for the covered period.
  • Q: Were there arrests in these highlighted incidents? A: In the moped–bus crash and the Bay Street motorcycle crash, no arrests were reported; both are under NYPD Highway investigation per amNY/ABC7 and the dataset.
  • Q: What policies could help now? A: Set a citywide 20 mph default under Sammy’s Law and pass state speed‑limiter mandates for repeat offenders (S4045). See the bill page and our Take Action guide.
  • 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

  • Teen Critically Hurt In Moped-Bus Crash - reporting , ABC7, Published 2025-08-05
  • Teen Moped Rider Hit By MTA Bus - reporting , amny, Published 2025-08-05
  • Motorcyclist Dies In Staten Island K-Turn Crash - reporting , amny, Published 2025-07-06
  • Motor Vehicle Collisions – Crash datasets - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-24
  • MTA Bus Pins Elderly Man In Brooklyn - reporting , Gothamist, Published 2025-06-03
  • Confusing Bus Lane Signs Spur Crashes - reporting , amny, Published 2025-08-05
  • File S 4045 - bill text , Open States, Published 2025-06-12
  • Ye Shall Know Their Names! Meet the Dirty Dozen City Pols Who Voted Against Speed Camera Program - coverage , Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-06-23

Geo: senate-23

monolithic

SD 23: Streets That Break Bodies, Laws That Lag

In SD 23, people hit the pavement and don’t get up. Five dead. 1,259 injured. 2,057 crashes since last year alone, per city data. The count climbs.

Staten Island nights

A boy on a moped hit an MTA bus on Castleton Avenue at 1 a.m. He went down. The head injury was critical. ABC7 said, “The boy was hospitalized in critical condition with a head injury.” The bus operator and three riders were unhurt. amNY added, “No arrests have been made.”

A month earlier, a motorcycle met a door that should not have been there. A Toyota was making a K‑turn across Bay Street. The rider hit the driver-side door. He died at the hospital. Police said the driver “was making a K-turn from the northbound lane… into its southbound lane when the collision occurred.” That’s from amNY.

At Hylan and Benton, an SUV struck an 80‑year‑old man in the intersection. He died. The report lists “Going Straight Ahead.” No arrest there either. City data shows it.

Brooklyn corners

In Sheepshead Bay, an MTA bus turned left and pinned an 87‑year‑old under its wheels at Avenue Z. “Officers… discovered an 87-year-old man pinned under the city bus,” Gothamist reported. He lived. Barely. “The man was standing near the corner when the driver made a left… and hit him,” the outlet wrote.

On Neptune Avenue and the Belt Parkway ramps, the logs pile up: parked cars crushed, heads split, bodies ejected. These aren’t scenes. They’re entries.

Signs that confuse. Streets that punish.

On Hylan Boulevard, even the signs can’t agree. Staten Island’s borough president put it plain: “That’s one accident every four days where somebody perhaps unwittingly thinks they must turn from the middle lane.” He told amNY. The paper counted 32 crashes tied to bus-lane confusion this year. Drivers read “Bus Corridor Photo” on one pole and hours on another. People pay in blood for mixed messages.

Albany moves. And stalls.

Cameras work. The Legislature re‑upped the city’s school‑zone speed cameras through 2030. Some city lawmakers still voted no. Streetsblog called the roll: “Meet the Dirty Dozen City Pols Who Voted Against Speed Camera Program.” Read it.

There is a bill for repeat speeders. The Stop Super Speeders Act (S 4045). Committee votes moved it. Its aim is simple: force speed limiters on chronic violators. The summary says it would require devices for drivers with repeated violations. See the file. We need fewer funerals, not more press releases.

What will stop the bleeding

  • Lower NYC’s default speed limit. Twenty saves lives. Every mile per hour matters. Sammy’s Law lets the city act. Do it citywide.
  • Mandate speed limiters for repeat offenders. Pass S 4045 and enforce it. Make the worst drivers slow down or park.

This district knows the price. A boy in a trauma bay. An old man under a bus. A rider against a door that cut him in half. Slow the streets. Stop the repeat speeders.

Take one step today. Tell City Hall and Albany to act. Start here: take action. The clock does not stop for the dead.

FAQ

  • Q: What is the New York State Senate and how does it work? A: It’s the upper house of the state legislature. Senators introduce bills, hold hearings, and vote; a bill must pass both the Senate and the Assembly and be signed by the Governor to become law. You can look up bills like S 4045 to track progress.
  • Q: Where does SD 23 sit politically? A: It belongs to borough Staten Island, city council district District 49 and assembly district AD 63.
  • Q: Which areas are in SD 23? A: It includes the Fort Hamilton, Gravesend (South), Coney Island-Sea Gate, Brighton Beach, Calvert Vaux Park, Sheepshead Bay-Manhattan Beach-Gerritsen Beach, St. George-New Brighton, Tompkinsville-Stapleton-Clifton-Fox Hills, Rosebank-Shore Acres-Park Hill, West New Brighton-Silver Lake-Grymes Hill, and Brooklyn CB15 neighborhoods. It also overlaps parts of Council Districts District 47, District 48, District 49, and District 50, and Assembly Districts AD 45, AD 46, AD 61, AD 63, and AD 64.
  • Q: Which politicians should I contact to fix things in SD 23? A: Start with Council Member Kamillah Hanks and Assembly Member Sam Pirozzolo. Ask them to back a citywide 20 mph default and to support state action on speed limiters. Then press your State Senator to pass S 4045.
  • Q: What types of vehicles caused injuries and deaths to pedestrians in SD 23? A: Cars and Trucks: 196 pedestrian injuries, including 2 deaths, 4 serious injuries. Motorcycles and Mopeds: 1 pedestrian injury, no deaths. Bikes: 5 pedestrian injuries, no deaths. These totals come from the district rollup for the current period.
  • Q: What does it take to change traffic laws here? A: Street fixes like redesigns need backing from your council member (in SD 23, that’s Kamillah Hanks), a City Council vote, and the mayor’s signature. State tools like speed cameras or speed limiters need Albany: a bill must pass the State Assembly and Senate and be signed by the Governor, like with S 4045. Local officials can advocate, but they can’t act alone. Real change takes both City Hall and the Capitol working in tandem.
  • 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-23