[Pontiac]

You can’t assume the driver was not at fault.

Just going by what the article states. The police do not suspect the driver. So why should we.

No criminality was suspected in the smash-up, police said.

One has to assume there were witnesses that spoke to the police. This is NYC after all. People are everywhere.

As far as the mailbox being knocked over; the driver may have jerk the wheel at the last moment in trying to avoid hitting McKean.

My only point is that the reporter is using inflammatory words when the police are saying they have so far determined that the driver was not at fault.

[Roccus]

As one who drove a truck past that intersection hundreds of afternoons in the 90’s, my guess is that he tried crossing against the light or stepped out past the parking lane against the light. Fellow I worked with killed a pedestrian who stepped off the center mall on B’way right in front of his truck in the same neighborhood.
Once on my way downtown I had to brake quickly to avoid a jay-walker between 71 & 72 and B’way. Fellow crossing against the light at 72 walked smack into the side of my truck with his face. Started screaming at me for stopping as he tried to stop his nose and mouth from bleeding. Luckily a cop saw the whole thing and told him to shut up and me to be on my way. (I took his badge number, gave it to my boss and never heard another thing about it)