Fatal dump truck accident in Times Square

A pedestrian was fatally hit by a dump truck last week in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The accident occurred Saturday afternoon around 3:00 pm. The pedestrian, a 64 year old woman whose name was not released, was crossing 7th Avenue at the intersection of 45th Street when she was struck by a large dump truck. The driver did not stop immediately and the pedestrian got stuck under the vehicle and dragged by the truck while horrified witnesses started to scream at the driver who then stopped and remained at the scene of the accident.

A street vendor with a stand right at the corner of the intersection told the NY Daily News that there was a lot of blood and when EMS removed the victim from under the truck she was not moving. However she was still alive and rushed to the hospital with critical injuries including severe leg trauma. She later died from her injuries at the hospital.

Truck side guards might have prevented the victim to get dragged under the truck

Dump trucks, garbage trucks and other large trucks are among the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists in the city.  Dump truck and garbage truck fatal accidents often occur because the victim, a pedestrian, a cyclist or a motorcyclist is dragged under the vehicle and crushed by the wheels.

By avoiding a contact with the wheels during a collision, truck side guards have proven to be effective at preventing victims to get trapped under the truck and die. Most of the NYC fleet of big trucks have, over the recent years, been equipped with truck side guards. In 2015, Mayor de Blasio signed a law requiring all large city trucks as well as private garbage truck operating in the city to have sideguards installed on them by 2024.  Truck side guards can be compared to airbags for pedestrians and cyclists. If every big truck driving in the city would be equipped with them, many fatalities could be avoided.