This morning I witnessed a woman getting struck from behind and knocked down by an SUV.
She was walking in the street with her back to traffic.
The SUV driver was talking on his cell phone while driving.
Fortunately, the SUV was moving slowly enough that she didn’t seem to be injured – just eager to be up and on her way.
People will sometimes walk in the street, where cars drive, because of unshoveled and impassable sidewalks. This is most common on one-way streets in the Flatbush and Boro Park neighborhoods.
If you must walk in the street, please –
- be aware of your surroundings.
- walk toward oncoming traffic so you can see what’s coming.
Additional observation – the SUV driver was only moving about 5 – 10 mph. I saw what was going to happen and yelled “Look out!” (he drove right by me), but he didn’t hear me. The woman didn’t dart out in front of him – she was clearly visible, walking in a straight line on a clear day. Yet, he totally didn’t see her until he struck her because of the cell phone distraction.
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