by - NYPD officers struck and killed a pedestrian with their squad car on Friday night.
- The city has paid out $653.8 million for city vehicle accidents over the past decade.
- More than a third of that amount, or $246.8 million in settlements, involved the NYPD.
A 52-year-old woman was fatally struck by a New York City Police Department vehicle on Friday as officers drove their squad car through Queens while responding to an 911 call.
In a statement from the NYPD emailed to Insiders, the department said the crash occurred as officers were responding to a call for another officer in need of assistance. While trying to go through an intersection, officers collided with a car turning left, causing the patrol car to swerve into a bike lane where the pedestrian was standing, hitting her.
The woman, who was struck by the NYPD squad car, a Ford Explorer SUV carrying four officers, suffered head trauma and was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased, according to the NYPD statement. An investigation is underway. The department declined to answer insider’s additional questions about the incident.
New York has a long history of accidents involving its fleet of nearly 30,000 city vehicles. According to a City Examiner report released last week, New York has paid out $653.8 million related to accidents involving municipal vehicles over the past decade. Almost 40% of that amount — $246.8 million in settlements — involved the NYPD.
“The municipalities with the highest number of accidents caused by urban vehicles over the past decade have poverty and unemployment rates that are higher than the city and county average,” the report says. “The communities identified are also predominantly black communities, where a majority of residents identify as Black or Hispanic.”
The payouts, which total more than half a billion dollars, account for nearly 25% of the city’s personal injury claims settled. The report did not specify how many New Yorkers were injured or killed as a result of the incidents.
“The epidemic of vehicle accidents is a serious public safety concern for New Yorkers and, unfortunately, the City Fleet is no exception,” Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement accompanying the report. “But in these cases, when a New Yorker is hit and injured by a squad car or a garbage truck, New York City taxpayers have to foot the bill.”
Representatives for New York City Mayor Eric Adams did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
