No More Excuses: Seven Dead, Hundreds Hurt, Still No Action
East Williamsburg: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
Blood on the Streets
In East Williamsburg, the numbers do not lie. Seven people killed. Twenty-one left with serious injuries. In just the past twelve months, 314 more were hurt. The dead do not get a second chance. The injured carry scars the city cannot count.
The last year saw a man in his twenties kneel to pick up food on Withers Street. A dump truck turned. He did not get up. The driver left the scene. No arrests. No answers. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is still investigating. Police said the driver, a 49-year-old man, left the scene. No arrests have been announced.
Trucks and SUVs crush. Cyclists are thrown. Pedestrians vanish. The numbers are steady. The pain is not.
Leadership: Promises and Delays
The city says it is working. They talk of Vision Zero. They talk of safer streets. But the trucks keep turning. The bodies keep falling. “Unfortunately, somebody has to die before something gets done,” said Joann Perahia after another fatal crash in Bushwick.
There are new laws. Sammy’s Law lets the city lower speed limits. Cameras catch speeders, but only if Albany lets them. The city redesigns intersections, but only after the blood dries. Local leaders talk. The street does not listen.
The Next Step Is Yours
This is not fate. This is policy. Every crash is a choice made by someone in power. The city can lower speed limits now. The council can demand more cameras, more daylight, fewer blind corners. But they move only when pushed.
Call your council member. Demand a 20 mph speed limit. Demand protected crossings. Demand action before the next name is carved in stone.
Citations
▸ Citations
- City Closes Deadly Bushwick Intersection, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-04-28
- Dump Truck Kills Pedestrian In Williamsburg, Gothamist, Published 2025-03-03
- City Closes Deadly Bushwick Intersection, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-04-28
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4593865, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
▸ Other Geographies
East Williamsburg East Williamsburg sits in Brooklyn, Precinct 90, District 34, AD 53, SD 18, Brooklyn CB1.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for East Williamsburg
Sedan Slams Head-On, Passenger Bleeds in Back Seat▸A Toyota sedan crashed head-on on Humboldt Street near Meeker Avenue. Four inside. The right front was crushed. One man in the back bled from the head. The car reeked of alcohol. No airbags. No belts. Night, metal, blood.
A 2007 Toyota sedan crashed head-on on Humboldt Street near Meeker Avenue at 3:16 a.m. Four people were inside. According to the police report, the right front of the car was crushed. One man in the back seat suffered a head injury and severe bleeding but was conscious. The report states, 'The car reeked of alcohol.' Alcohol involvement was listed as a contributing factor for the driver and all passengers. No airbags deployed. Some occupants wore no seat belts. The crash data highlights 'Alcohol Involvement' as the primary driver error. No other contributing factors were listed.
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Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493256,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-18
2Speeding Sedan Slams Dump Truck, Passenger Killed▸A sedan tore down Morgan Avenue. It smashed into a dump truck’s rear. Metal screamed. The front passenger, 22, died from a head wound. Another passenger, 21, broke his arm. The car was wrecked. Speed and ignored signals led to blood and silence.
A sedan traveling north on Morgan Avenue near Division Place in Brooklyn struck the rear of a dump truck. According to the police report, the sedan was moving at unsafe speed and disregarded traffic control. The front passenger, age 22, suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene. Another passenger, age 21, sustained a fractured arm. The sedan was demolished. The police report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as contributing factors. The front passenger’s airbag deployed during the crash. No driver or passenger actions beyond these errors are cited in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491817,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-18
A Toyota sedan crashed head-on on Humboldt Street near Meeker Avenue. Four inside. The right front was crushed. One man in the back bled from the head. The car reeked of alcohol. No airbags. No belts. Night, metal, blood.
A 2007 Toyota sedan crashed head-on on Humboldt Street near Meeker Avenue at 3:16 a.m. Four people were inside. According to the police report, the right front of the car was crushed. One man in the back seat suffered a head injury and severe bleeding but was conscious. The report states, 'The car reeked of alcohol.' Alcohol involvement was listed as a contributing factor for the driver and all passengers. No airbags deployed. Some occupants wore no seat belts. The crash data highlights 'Alcohol Involvement' as the primary driver error. No other contributing factors were listed.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493256, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-18
2Speeding Sedan Slams Dump Truck, Passenger Killed▸A sedan tore down Morgan Avenue. It smashed into a dump truck’s rear. Metal screamed. The front passenger, 22, died from a head wound. Another passenger, 21, broke his arm. The car was wrecked. Speed and ignored signals led to blood and silence.
A sedan traveling north on Morgan Avenue near Division Place in Brooklyn struck the rear of a dump truck. According to the police report, the sedan was moving at unsafe speed and disregarded traffic control. The front passenger, age 22, suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene. Another passenger, age 21, sustained a fractured arm. The sedan was demolished. The police report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as contributing factors. The front passenger’s airbag deployed during the crash. No driver or passenger actions beyond these errors are cited in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491817,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-18
A sedan tore down Morgan Avenue. It smashed into a dump truck’s rear. Metal screamed. The front passenger, 22, died from a head wound. Another passenger, 21, broke his arm. The car was wrecked. Speed and ignored signals led to blood and silence.
A sedan traveling north on Morgan Avenue near Division Place in Brooklyn struck the rear of a dump truck. According to the police report, the sedan was moving at unsafe speed and disregarded traffic control. The front passenger, age 22, suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene. Another passenger, age 21, sustained a fractured arm. The sedan was demolished. The police report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as contributing factors. The front passenger’s airbag deployed during the crash. No driver or passenger actions beyond these errors are cited in the report.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491817, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-18