Cyclists and Pedestrians Demand That the NYPD Hold Reckless Drivers Accountable

Mathieu Lefevere's mother Erika. (John Del Signore/Gothamist)

Yesterday nearly 100 cyclists, relatives of killed cyclists and pedestrians stood outside NYPD headquarters and demanded that reckless drivers be held accountable for the people they've struck. 

Among this group were the relatives of 30 year-old artist Mathieu Lefevre, who was struck and killed by a flatbed truck while biking in Williamsburg last month. The man who hit Lefevre left the scene of the accident and has not been charged with any wrongdoings. His mother Erika spoke with reporters on the scene. 

"I never expected to be standing in the same spot today where I stood over a month ago, asking the NYPD to please release the information it has about the death of Mathieu. In that month, we have made many, many requests to the NYPD for information, including Freedom of Information requests. But we've gotten almost nothing."

Gothamist spoke to Park Slope resident Hutch Ganson, was run over by a man speeding through an intersection at Carroll Street and 8th Avenue:

"I lost half my head," Ganson told us, adding that he sustained traumatic brain injury, a broken leg, all his ribs were broken, as well as the bones in his face, he was in a coma for a month, and wasn't released from the hospital until four months after the accident. Formerly an executive at AIG, he has been unable to work since the accident, and he now suffers from aphasia. Ganson and his wife Donna said they attended the rally because they want reckless drivers to face consequences for their actions.

Let's just back that one up a moment: This man lost half of his head. HOLY SHIT that is awful.  

Transportation Alternatives, NYC's leading transportation advocacy organization, has launched an investigation into the NYPD's Accident Investigation Squad. This came after they received over 3,000 letters from New York City residents seeking "traffic justice." 

This is kind of a tricky and sensitive subject, because in some cases a cyclist or pedestrian may be at fault for such an accident. But Transportation Alternatives has reported some statistics that claim drivers aren't getting charged when the incident is their fault. Between 2001 and 2010, 1,745 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed by cars. In 60% of those cases, the cause of the accident was caused by a driver's dangerous and illegal behavior. The police repeatedly fail to file charges against these drivers. 

[Via Gothamist]