Despite initiatives such as Vision Zero in New York and others like it nationwide, it seems that pedestrian fatalities are increasing. In 2017, there were 5,977 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents according to the NHTSA. On average, a pedestrian is killed every 88 seconds in traffic accidents in the United States. 73% of pedestrian fatalities occurred at an area of the roadway that was not an intersection. In addition, the great majority (75%) of pedestrian traffic fatalities occurred when it was dark. Likely due to population differences, more pedestrian fatalities took place in urban, rather than rural, areas.
The New York Times reports that a 3-year-old boy in a stroller was killed in a traffic accident in Harlem. On the morning of December 9th, a mother put her 3-year-old son in a stroller and walked to Dunkin Donuts. This was her daily ritual. After leaving the restaurant, as the mother and child were crossing First Avenue at East 116th Street, a driver in a Ford pickup made a left turn, striking the unidentified woman and her son.
3-year-old Bertin DeJesus was killed. His mother suffered from only minor injuries. Bertin marks the 6th child to be killed in a pedestrian accident in 2019.
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Two children, a 10-year-old boy waiting for the bus in Brooklyn and a 1-year-old girl in a stroller in the Bronx were killed in September. Bertin was also the 104th pedestrian to be killed, a number which is up from 101 last year. Pedestrians have accounted for more than half of the traffic deaths so far in 2019.
The driver of the truck, 59-year-old Jaime Sabogal, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, failure to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care.
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