awful things

Woman Dies After SUV Jumps Curb in Fort Greene

Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, a Chevy Suburban swerved onto the sidewalk near Café Habana and Not Ray’s Pizza at the intersection of Fulton Street and South Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. After jumping the curb, the SUV killed one 30-year-old woman and injured several others. 

This is the 22nd pedestrian death in New York City since Halloween, according to WABC. At least five of these deaths have involved vehicles careening onto sidewalks, per the New York Daily News. In the past few months, exhausted taxi drivers, dump trucks, and charter buses have all killed pedestrians. 

The driver, who was charged for driving without a proper driver’s license and insurance, had reportedly been driving quite fast, and was unaware that the bus in front of him was about to stop. Thirty-year-old art curator Victoria Nicodemus was holding hands with her boyfriend on the sidewalk when she was fatally struck; her boyfriend and a 75-year-old woman were also injured but are in stable condition. 

One man who had been buying lottery tickets when the crash happened told the Daily News, “This place was a madhouse. I’ve never seen so many people screaming.” Another witness told WABC“I went outside to see, and it was horrible.”

In November, when addressing the recent news concerning upsetting pedestrian fatalities, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “The stories have been painful, but we know there are real changes that have been made that are making a difference and changes that will continue to be made that will reduce the number of crashes and save more and more lives … Let’s remember that for many, many years in this country, the car has been a little too sacred.”