Horror struck the streets of New York City this week as an elderly woman was struck by a double-decker tour bus carrying tourists through the city. The incident took place in the West Village, and left the victim covered with blood as passengers onboard the popular tourist vehicle stunned and staring.
The 74-year old woman had been crossing from the east side to the west side of Seventh Avenue at approximately 5 p.m. when the incident occurred. She was taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition.
Police on the scene at the time were unable to determine the cause of the accident or whether the woman may have been jaywalking, but witnesses to the incident thought that the problem was that the bus driver simply hadn’t seen the woman in the crosswalk, and based upon a statement later made to the police by the driver, that was the case – he simply had not seen the woman as she crossed. The police issued a citation for failure to yield. According to Richard Taylor of Jackson Heights, “I arrived here just as it was happening. This old woman was in the crosswalk on Seventh Avenue. The bus driver just didn’t see her. She got clipped by the front tires and went under the bus. Then she rolled under the back tires. She looked pretty bad. She was screaming. Her head was fractured. Her legs looked broken and ripped up. There’s blood puddling on the rear tire. The people at the top of the bus were freaking out and in shock. Everyone was calling 911. These people’s are going to remember this vacation for sure.”
A study conducted in the year 2005 found that buses have nearly a twelve times greater likelihood of striking and killing a child under the age of 14 than is the case for motorists driving passenger cars, and that number increases to over 16 times greater chance for killing adults over the age of 85.
The bus was operated by CitySights NY. The tour agency issued a statement expressing their concern, saying, “Our thoughts are with the injured woman and her family and we are cooperating fully with the NYPD. Safety is of paramount concern to CitySights and we have an exemplary record in
that regard.”