Saturday, July 31, 2010

Boy, 7, Fatally Struck By M.T.A. Tow Truck in NY

Sad, sad news. Here's the New York Times story:
A 7-year-old boy was killed on Friday morning when the driver of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority tow truck struck him and his mother as they walked together in East Harlem, the authorities said.
The boy’s 34-year-old mother was taken to Harlem Hospital Center after the accident, about 9 a.m., and was listed in stable condition there, the police said. Officials declined to immediately identify the boy or his mother.
Responders said the injured woman appeared to be pregnant, possibly as many as seventh months into her term.
The accident occurred at the on-bound ramp to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, formerly known as the Triborough Bridge, near East 124th Street and Second Avenue, after a 39-year-old tow truck driver, who is assigned to work at the bridge, “had just received a call to assist a disabled vehicle,” according to a statement from the authority’s bridges and tunnels division.
“The driver was tested for alcohol at the scene, and it was negative,” the statement said. “The N.Y.P.D. has said they do not believe criminal charges will be filed.”
A police spokesman was unable to immediately provide specifics about the accident, like which way the boy and his mother were traveling, and said the accident was being investigated. Though the police said that “no criminality is suspected at this time,” it was not clear whether the driver might face a vehicle or traffic law violation.
The driver, the transportation authority said, has worked for the bridges and tunnels division since 2007; his duties include removing disabled vehicles.

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