A Devastating Start to the Year: Two Pedestrians Killed by Hit-and-Run Drivers Amid Celebrations of Reduced Traffic Deaths
As New York City marked its first day of the new year with optimism over a historic drop in traffic fatalities in 2025, two pedestrians were tragically struck down by hit-and-run drivers. The pair's deaths came as city officials basked in the glow of their best year yet under Vision Zero, an initiative aimed at eradicating traffic-related deaths on city streets.
The first fatality occurred early on New Year's Day when a driver slammed into a 68-year-old man who was crossing Linden Boulevard at Ashford Street in East New York, Brooklyn. Despite being struck against the pedestrian signal, emergency responders were unable to save him. The driver fled the scene and remains at large.
Hours later, two more men were felled by the same vehicle while crossing the street in Corona, Queens. One victim was thrown into a parked car and pinned beneath it before succumbing to his injuries on the spot. A second man, 24 years old, suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
The two incidents have raised questions about the effectiveness of Vision Zero initiatives. Despite a reported 19% decline in traffic fatalities compared to 2024, pedestrians are still vulnerable to the dangers on city streets. In fact, pedestrian deaths specifically fell by just 8% last year, indicating that work is far from over.
Transportation officials acknowledged the tragedy, with spokesperson Vincent Barone calling for continued vigilance and enforcement measures. "No loss of life on our streets is acceptable," he said. "We will be doubling down to make our streets safer and better protect all New Yorkers."
Both cases remain under investigation as police work to identify the driver responsible for these senseless acts of violence.
As New York City marked its first day of the new year with optimism over a historic drop in traffic fatalities in 2025, two pedestrians were tragically struck down by hit-and-run drivers. The pair's deaths came as city officials basked in the glow of their best year yet under Vision Zero, an initiative aimed at eradicating traffic-related deaths on city streets.
The first fatality occurred early on New Year's Day when a driver slammed into a 68-year-old man who was crossing Linden Boulevard at Ashford Street in East New York, Brooklyn. Despite being struck against the pedestrian signal, emergency responders were unable to save him. The driver fled the scene and remains at large.
Hours later, two more men were felled by the same vehicle while crossing the street in Corona, Queens. One victim was thrown into a parked car and pinned beneath it before succumbing to his injuries on the spot. A second man, 24 years old, suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
The two incidents have raised questions about the effectiveness of Vision Zero initiatives. Despite a reported 19% decline in traffic fatalities compared to 2024, pedestrians are still vulnerable to the dangers on city streets. In fact, pedestrian deaths specifically fell by just 8% last year, indicating that work is far from over.
Transportation officials acknowledged the tragedy, with spokesperson Vincent Barone calling for continued vigilance and enforcement measures. "No loss of life on our streets is acceptable," he said. "We will be doubling down to make our streets safer and better protect all New Yorkers."
Both cases remain under investigation as police work to identify the driver responsible for these senseless acts of violence.
I mean, can you believe this? Two people just like that! Dead because some guy didn't stop his car after hitting them... it's just so crazy 
And yeah, I know Vision Zero is a good initiative and all, but if pedestrians are still getting hurt like this, then what's the point of even having those initiatives in place? 
. Are they not thinking about how it affects others? It's like, we all share these roads, right? So if you're going to be careless with your life, shouldn't you at least be responsible for not hurting anyone else in the process?
. Like, how many more people have to die before we get it right? 
It's just so frustrating...
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. pedestrian deaths are still up, what's the point of having initiatives if we're not gonna see actual change? i'm so sick of these hit-and-run drivers, can't they just own up to their mistakes and face justice? the city needs to do better than just doubling down on enforcement, it needs to hold ppl accountable for their actions 
what's the deal? shouldn't this be a wake-up call for those in power to step up their game?
. Can't celebrate our successes when the ones who aren't celebrating are the ones on the streets fighting for their lives 
i dont think vision zero is doing enough, imo. we still got a long way to go to make our streets safe for everyone, esp pedestrians. the stats might show progress but its just not translating to safer streets. what's the point of having initiatives if ppl are just gonna keep doing the same reckless stuff? 
. The city is doing better with Vision Zero and all, but it's clear we need to do more to hold people accountable for their actions. It's like they think they can just drive away and hope no one sees them... Newsflash: you will get caught 
. 8% decline in pedestrian deaths might not sound like a lot, but when you consider how many people are out on the streets every day, it's still way too high 
. and what's with these hit-and-run drivers? don't they know that fleeing the scene is only gonna make things worse for themselves? 
We need to see those enforcement measures in action ASAP! 
. Can't wait to see what other surprises 2025 has in store for us... maybe some new initiatives or technologies that'll make our roads even safer 
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... but at the same time, two people were killed by hit-and-run drivers just hours into the new year? That's like, totally mind-blowing 
. And yeah, I guess doubling down on enforcement measures makes sense... but what's the point if we're still not doing enough to prevent these tragedies from happening in the first place? 
and now ppl are saying the city isnt doing enough... like, what r they gonna do? just throw more cops on the street? 
We need to come together to protect our communities from senseless acts of violence like these hit-and-run tragedies 
so let's all take a moment to reflect on how we can make our communities safer for everyone