Man Remains Critical After Hit-And-Run on FDR Drive
The August 10 incident, which cops say occurred between the parkway’s Grand St. and Houston St. exits, ended with an unidentified 59 year-old being rushed to Bellevue with head and body trauma. Police note that a white sedan sped away from the scene, and that an investigation remains ongoing.
An unidentified 59 year-old man remains in critical condition after a brazen August 10 hit-and-run on the FDR Drive, the authorities confirmed to Our Town Downtown. It’s the second such incident to occur on the famed parkway, which extends along the eastern perimeter of Manhattan, this summer.
Cops said that the latest incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m., in between the parkway’s Grand St./Williamsburg Bridge and Houston St. exits. A preliminary investigation determined that the man was likely attempting to cross from the east side of the road to its west side, in the direction of Manhattan. Responding EMS workers found the man splayed on the road with trauma wounds to his head and body, and quickly rushed him to Bellevue.
Police later determined that the man had been struck by a white sedan traveling south, which reportedly didn’t stop at all after striking him. The identity of the car’s driver has yet to be determined, and the NYPD said that an investigation remains ongoing by its Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad. No arrests have been made.
Just about 72 hours later, another hit-and-run occurred in Manhattan, leaving yet another person in critical condition at Bellevue. Police say that a 30 year-old man was using the 8th Ave. crosswalk, near W. 49th St., when he was slammed into by dark-colored sedan heading north. The driver sped off. An investigation is also underway in that case.
August 10’s incident echoes the June 25 death of 31 year-old Mary Rowell, who was struck and killed on the FDR Drive shortly after leaving a family gathering–in East River Park–around midnight. Loved ones told the New York Daily News that they thought Rowell might have been confused by construction signage, which they believe didn’t accurately demarcated a pedestrian crossing. A cousin who left the park not long after Rowell ended up at the scene. An investigation is similarly ongoing, and no arrests have been made, although the police said that the unidentified perp in that incident was likewise driving a dark-colored sedan.
Rowell’s death, incidentally or otherwise, also occurred around the Houston St. stretch of the parkway.