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Fatal Crossing
Intersection Claims 3 Lives in 10 Months

By ALEX KRATZ

When Ellen McHugh, 66, died shortly after being struck by a city bus last Thursday morning, it marked the third time in 10 months a pedestrian had been killed at the intersection of Bainbridge Avenue and Gun Hill Road.

Less than six weeks ago, on Sept. 30, Kenneth Filacchione, a 62-year-old Manhattan College security guard, was killed at the very same intersection following a late evening hit-and-run. And last February, 82-year-old Eva Schweitzer was also killed by a city bus in the early morning hours.

Now, after the most recent death at the busy intersection, which is at the center of several Montefiore Medical Center buildings, community leaders see a pattern.

Members of Community Board 7 have taken notice, says District Manager Rita Kessler, who called for urgent action in a letter she wrote on behalf of the Board to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

“Pedestrians are at risk each and every time they cross the street at that location,” Kessler wrote.

Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, commander of the 52nd Precinct, said police are investigating the situation and will make recommendations to the DOT if they discover a solution.

Two of the accidents happened early in the morning when victims were struck by buses. One was making a left hand turn onto Gun Hill, while the other was traveling west on Gun Hill. The other happened at 9:42 p.m. and the victim was hit by two different cars going eastbound. Neither of the cars stopped to help.

The police could place a cop at the intersection to direct traffic, Hoch said, but that would only be a temporary solution.

A spokesman for the MTA, which operates the buses that were responsible for two of the deaths, said the MTA tests drivers for drugs and competency after they are involved in these kinds of accidents, but that ultimately the investigation is up to the Police Department.

The driver of the bus that killed Ellen McHugh received a traffic violation for failure to yield to a pedestrian, but has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

At a recent district service cabinet meeting at the Community Board 7 office, a DOT representative told Kessler to write a letter to the DOT outlining her concerns, and that the agency would look into it in the meantime.

Kessler wants more.

“We ask that you not take the time to “study” the area but get out there now and do something fast,” Kessler wrote.

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