Bus driver fatally injures pedestrian at Midtown intersection.
Patch reported that a 40-year-old bus driver struck and fatally injured 82-year-old Fahri Boumechal at Second Avenue and East 37th Street; the official record dates the crash to April 29, 2022, at 11:40 a.m., while press accounts gave estimates shortly after 11:30 and around 11:45.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police told Patch that a 40-year-old bus driver turned left onto Second Avenue and struck Boumechal in the crosswalk. The official record says Boumechal was crossing with the signal and lists driver inattention or distraction and failure to yield as contributing factors. Patch reported that Boumechal was taken to Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead.
Accounts describe a left turn, but differ on direction.
Patch said the 40-year-old driver was heading west on East 37th Street and turned left onto Second Avenue as Boumechal crossed in the crosswalk. El Diario also described a left turn from East 37th Street. The official vehicle record lists southbound travel and a left turn, and the pedestrian entry says Boumechal was crossing with the signal.
The official record gives the crash time as 11:40 a.m. Patch reported it happened shortly after 11:30 a.m., while El Diario placed it around 11:45 a.m.
Near the Queens Midtown Tunnel entrance.
The crash happened at Second Avenue and East 37th Street in Manhattan. Patch described the intersection as near the congested on-ramp to the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
An Upper East Side resident.
Patch reported that Boumechal lived on East 88th Street near Madison Avenue. Police found him unconscious and unresponsive with head trauma, Patch reported. Patch said he was taken to Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead; El Diario also reported that he was taken there and could not be saved.
Reports differ on the bus and its occupants.
Patch described a yellow school bus with the driver and one other adult aboard, and said no children were present. El Diario described an empty school minibus. The official record classifies the vehicle as a bus and records two occupants.
The driver remained at the scene.
Patch reported that the driver remained at the scene and police suspected no criminality. El Diario reported that no criminal charges had been filed immediately.