The weather in New York City has been a little crazy lately. Today, just like yesterday, we had heat, humidity, and sun with sudden bursts of thunder, lightening, and buckets of rain. I was walking home from the grocery store this afternoon when one of those downpours started.
I was heading north on 2nd Avenue, approaching 53rd. 2nd Avenue is basically a 6-lane highway running down the east side of Manhattan. I saw a young guy crossing the street towards me, when a minivan turning from 53rd to 2nd hit him. The minivan made contact with a loud thud, the guy few up and to side, and then fell to the street. The minivan stopped, but I don’t remember screeching tires. It was a little dramatic, almost slow motion.
The pedestrian stood up quickly, compared to the time it took the driver to get out of his car. I stood watching, while the rest of the city carried on. As the signals changed, traffic continued around the scene of the accident.
When the driver pulled out of the crosswalk to the side of the road, I noticed one other witness and a police officer approaching the scene. The pedestrian, the other witness, and I were the only ones startled by the situation. The police, the driver, his passenger, and the city took it all in stride. I left my name and contact information with the police, but I got the feeling that it wasn’t necessary.
I can identify with both the pedestrian and driver in this story; I do a lot of multi-tasking. Among other things, today’s accident is a little reminder to slow down and pay attention to my surroundings.
