Around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, a car sped past Cornell Tech, lost control, crashed through the seawall and plunged into the East River. The driver, who the cops say appeared to be intoxicated, swam to safety along with his father who was a passenger.
We’re updating the car crash with pictures of the aftermath.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
You can also read the story on NBC’s website.
RIOC installed speed bumps on that stretch, but many consider them unsafe. It’s unknown, at this time, whether the speed bumps contributed to the driver losing control of his vehicle.
In the Aftermath of the Car Crash
The SUV hit the seawall with so much force that it broke the rails and a concrete support post anchoring the railings. One unexplained oddity – the vehicle hit the wall in a direction perpendicular to the roadway. That is, it’s as if it made a sharp, but clean left turn while maintaining a high speed.
Perspective
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“RIOC installed speed bumps on that stretch, but many consider them unsafe.” Really? Only if you’re drunk and going way over 15 MPH.
Actually, no. They’re no longer legal on city streets because their height can cause motorcycles and bicycles to lose control, as well as cause vehicle damage. And they won’t stop a drunk driver who wouldn’t be paying attention anyway and may cause the driver to lose control. PSD lowered the height to go under the limit, but this could’ve happened at any time and endangered innocent people.
What if FDNY rescuers went in the murky water in the dark and drowned? Would speed bumps be okay then? The fact is, these are lazy cop tricks. There are smarter options like maintaining a presence at risky times and preventing accidents before they happen.
Drunk driving and speeding. Great combo no matter what, no matter where.