Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Queensboro Bridge ramp claims another life
From DNA Info:
An NYPD officer and mom of two was killed when her car struck a metal railing at the base of the Queensboro Bridge near a "death trap" accident zone early Tuesday, catapulting the vehicle into a storefront that was destroyed in a fatal crash two years ago, officials said.
In a tragic twist, the driver, Elisa Toro, 36, of The Bronx a 10-year veteran who worked out of Manhattan's 17th Precinct, was ejected from her car when she hit a barrier that was designed to stop out-of-control cars from hitting the stores near the ramp, according to the officials.
Police say she had been driving east off the bridge, near Crescent Street, when she hit the railing about 1:50 a.m., sending her car careening out of control, the NYPD said.
The car then bounced into a cement barrier and flipped onto its side, skidding along until it struck a vacant store at 25-06 Queens Plaza South — the same shop that was destroyed in a crash two years ago, the NYPD said.
The officer — a mother of two sons — was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene, Kelly said.
32 comments:
They should have never changed this section in the first place. Since the change there has been nothing but trouble. I wish this city would start fixing problems and stop fixing things that aren't broken.
Your headline is inaccurate. It should read "reckless driving claims another life."
There's more than enough signage after the previous incidents to warn drivers to slow down before the ramp.
The headline is fine. As the first commenter stated, people weren't dying in accidents at that location until the DOT changed the configuration of the road. They're supposed to make things safer, not more dangerous.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the officers family, especially her children. As a single dad for ten years I hope the boys father is ready to step into the role.
Speed Kills ! Excessive speed and not not wearing a seat belt will get you thrown from the car and more then likely meet your tragic demise.
Ejected from car. Seatbelts anyone? POs get used to not riding with them in the RMPs...
Everything, EVERYTHING the D.O.T. Touches turns to shit
Did her seat belt fail?
How fast was she driving? No seat belt?
It's a sad story but NYC cops act as though they are above the law. How do not see these massive barriers?
And if they had not been there might she have killed a number of innocent bystanders?
When you drive 30 mph above the posted 20mph, then of course your car will crash, flip over a 4 foot concrete barrier, and land upside own on the sidewalk.
Was she DWI?
everyone loves driving fast.
like the dead kennedys album title
"give me convenience or give me death"
Bratton first broken window is speeding drivers.
Isn't the bridge now called "Ed Koch Bridge?"
Ed Koch takes another life.
Anon - "Isn't the bridge now called "Ed Koch Bridge?"
Anon -"Ed Koch takes another life"
Haven't laughed so hard....EVER.
The problem in Queens is that there are no responsible adults for anyone to talk to that can fix things - from Marshall to QCC.
Well, here we can blame the usual suspects:
1. Penny Lee, City Planning (who plans unsustainable development next to bridge ramps, elevated stations and brownfields)
2. George Stamatiades (man responsible for QCC member Dutch Kills Civic upzoning (read hotels next to 2 story houses), the former shopping mecca that was Steinway Street (that is now just a Mecca), Queens Community Board #1 (the city's only community board with its own parody website), and the luxurious basement office for CALDC funded mysteriously with several $100000 (just think of what that sum could have done by being invested within the community at large)
3. "Stonewall" Van Bramer - (George's homeboy from the Queens Library - nuff said?)
4. Community Board #2 (oks development on a brownfield floodplain and next to an active polluted noisy train yard while ignoring infrastructure and whole neighborhoods that are getting displaced, schools in midblock, and sidewalk cluttering cafes just like they have in that other model of civic planning, Vallonia.)
A fine mess you have all gotten us into.
Your headline is inaccurate. It should read "reckless driving claims another life."
There's more than enough signage after the previous incidents to warn drivers to slow down before the ramp
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Agreed, and they still fly down that ramp. And I guarantee you that there will be even more signs now and there will be another accident, maybe even another fatality within the next year or two.
Ejected from car. Seatbelts anyone? POs get used to not riding with them in the RMPs...
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Actually the Boro Inspections units have been hammering them pretty hard over the last few years for not wearing their seatbelts. Now, as a further incentiive, the patrol supervisor gets a hit as well if an officer is caught not wearing their seatbelt. Hey Inspections, if you are listening, how about doing something about the RMP operators who constantly drive around Queens North on their cellphones.
Signs are not the answer. Reconfiguring the ramp back to how it was previously is the answer. Or do you want more pedestrians to die?
One option that won't happen is to put tolls on the East River Bridges, reducing traffic through Queensboro Plaza. Then turn the south lane into an additional pedestrian and bike lane as it used to be -- back then, prevailing winds from the SW swept air pollution away from people on most days. Now it sweeps into them.
Alternatively, maybe textured surfaces (small bumps) will rattle drivers into awareness about the coming danger, augmenting signage. Also, aggressive speeding ticketing at the bridge.
Drivers absolutely routinely fly through red lights at the bridge (often blowing one to wait at the next), nearly killing pedestrians.
There's no more money. It was all wasted on the hideous tombstone rock gardens under the Qboro El. An ominous design courtesy of NYC DOT.
"Signs are not the answer. Reconfiguring the ramp back to how it was previously is the answer. Or do you want more pedestrians to die?"
So allowing drivers to come off the bridge at 60 mph where there are pedestrian crossings is the answer to prevent pedestrian deaths?
There's no more money. It was all wasted on the hideous tombstone rock gardens under the Qboro El.
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A few blocks off, but quite prophetic, dontchya think?
"So allowing drivers to come off the bridge at 60 mph where there are pedestrian crossings is the answer to prevent pedestrian deaths?"
Never said that. The fact is that road safety planning includes the fact that people tend to drive like assholes. That's why there are crash cushions on highways. Up until this area was reconfigured, there were not a lot of crashes. So the design lent to the safety. It needs to be brought back.
All those recklessly speeding cars at 2am might just be off-duty NYPD and FDNY. They know they are above most laws - but not the laws of physics. The end of the Queensboro Bridge is safe if you are not going 60 mph.
What's going on here? Toro works in Manhattan, lives in the Bronx, and entered Queens at 1:50am.
Also, one of you might also recall that in one of these speed-caused accidents, a pedestrian was killed.
And fire the traffic engineer who designed that barrier - the car hit it but rather than stopping it - the car became a missile.
' Up until this area was reconfigured, there were not a lot of crashes.'
Does it only count as a crash in your mind if drivers get hurt? The area is much safer for pedestrians and cyclists than a few years ago.
Does it only count as a crash in your mind if drivers get hurt? The area is much safer for pedestrians and cyclists than a few years ago.
How many people have an occasion to wander around this place - except those living in the new buildings near by. Check one for developers.
As to bikes, the old set up as well as the new one does not stop the speeding bikes flying off the bridge - who endanger the those crossing the bridge on foot driving them off the bridge.
One can safely cross from one side of the street to the other using the footbridge. However, the only problem I remember with the previous pedestrian crossings at grade was that the timing of the clocks was too short to allow you to cross. I don't remember cars flying off the bridge and hitting pedestrians.
All those recklessly speeding cars at 2am might just be off-duty NYPD and FDNY. They know they are above most laws - but not the laws of physics.
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Then how do you explain the two incidents in the same spot a few years ago involving no members of NYPD/NYFD?
"those living in the new buildings nearby ... check one for developers."
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Yes, opposing development is this site's theme, but don't you ever get tired of hating people? We're here to reproduce. People have to live somewhere. Developers give them that somewhere. You're in NEW YORK CITY for cryin' out loud. If you don't want crowds, go somewhere else.
Two of the three were off duty nypd.
Opposing development is not this blog's theme. Opposing OVERdevelopment is this blog's theme. There isn't sufficient infrastructure to handle overdevelopment, and everyone suffers because of it, except for the developers, who don't live anywhere near here. And building towers doesn't provide housing for people who already live here, it attracts transplants from out of state.
Before they moved the ramp, there were much fewer accidents at this location. There was a BUS STOP right where these accidents have happened where multiple bus lines would drop off/pick up. Thankfully, when they did their stupid reconfiguration, they moved the bus stop. Otherwise, there would have been a lot more deaths.
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