Manhattan Bridge intersection brings another tragedy - D.N.A. reporting, Suzanne Ma covers the story for us

Several Injured in Multi-Car Crash at Manhattan Bridge Updated 4 hrs ago

CHINATOWN — Several people were injured Wednesday afternoon when a cement truck driver leaving the Manhattan Bridge lost control and plowed into six cars before mounting the sidewalk, authorities and witnesses said.

Eight people were injured, including two who were in serious condition, in the crash, which ocurred at the corner of the Bowery and Canal Street at about 12:50 p.m., a fire department spokesman said.

The most seriously injured were taken to Bellevue Hopsital.

"I was so scared," said a witness, who asked to be identified by her first name Pansy. "I had just walked up the sidewalk, coming to work. And, boom, that truck slammed into the cars.”

An employee sweeps up shattered glass from the storefront window of H.t. Wireless at 145 Canal St on Nov. 11, 2009. The cement truck mounted the sidewalk and crashed into the store window, owner John Chan said. (Suzanne Ma/DNAinfo)

She said it looked as though the truck's brakes had malfunctioned.

The truck, operated by a company called Concrete Quick, smashed into the storefront windows of H.t. Wireless at 145 Canal St.

John Chan, the owner of H.t. Wireless said he and five other employees were in the store when the cement truck shattered his window.

"I saw smoke in tha air and oil spilling on the ground," Chan said. "Luckily, [the truck] didn't explode."

Chan and other witnesses said neighborhood residents have pleaded with the city to install signs and traffic lights to slow traffic at the base of the Manhattan Bridge.

Too many speeding motorists come off the bridge and have a hard time negotiating narrow streets, they said.

"This isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this. We’ve had many accidents, many people have been hurt," said one resident who did not witness the accident and only identified himself as Mr. So.

Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20091111/manhattan/several-injured-multicar-crash-at-manhattan-bridge#ixzz0WbtYGSZm

November 12, 2009

More serious traffic accident, as documented in Suzanne Ma's dnainfo.com, highlights the DOT's unconscionable failure to address a known traffic "hotspot" at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge that has for decades been the site of numerous accidents/fatalities -- and calls for action. Last year there were at least 3 fatalities at the same location. Just last month, during the Manhattan Bridge 100th Anniversary celebration, the Civic Center Residents Coalition joined other groups in protesting the continuing, unsafe conditions at the bridge. With years of Brooklyn Bridge reconstruction scheduled to begin shortly, thousands more vehicles will be routed to the Manhattan Bridge through Chinatown -- increasing the risk of injury and death to a community that has had enough. How many more accidents and deaths must occur before DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik Kahn addresses this crisis in Chinatown?