What to Know
- A 43-year-old man was hit by a private garbage tuck in Midtown and is in serious but stable condition at an area hospital, officials say
- The collision comes on the same day the NYPD launched an initiative to crackdown on private trash trucks
- Many of those private companies were found to have multiple violations during recent inspections
A cyclist was hit and seriously injured in Manhattan when a private garbage truck smacked into him and it comes as the city launched an initiative to crack down on those private sanitation trucks.
The 43-year-old man was hit just after 9:30 Monday night at the corner of 47th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown, according to the FDNY. The victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he is listed in serious but stable condition.
The driver of the private garbage truck stayed at the scene, police said. The victim suffered injuries to both of his arms. It wasn't immediately clear whether the driver would face any charges.
The collision comes on the same day as the NYPD called for a crackdown on private garbage trucking companies after a series of serious and deadly accidents.
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The NYPD says some private trash companies are constantly violating the law and in many cases they are turning fatal.
In one case in Brooklyn, more than a half-dozen cars were damaged when an accused drunk driver behind the wheel of a garbage truck plowed into them. Twenty cases since 2016 have been deadly, officials said.
“We will not tolerate people getting killed while crossing the street, crushed by 50,000 pounds of metal bearing down on them,” NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said Monday, the day the NYPD began that week-long initiative to crackdown on private trash trucks, many of which were found to have multiple violations during recent inspections.
NYC has issued more than 1,800 summonses since last year. They include common violations such as disobeying red lights, backing up unsafely and defective equipment, NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan said.
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Daniel Brownell of the Business Integrity Commission said private trash trucks often put profits over safety.
“The managers of these companies load up collection routes to save time and money,” he said. “The result is that drivers’ shifts are dangerously long.”
The NYPD will be out in full force to make sure the companies and their operators are following the law.
“One fatality is too many,” Monahan said. "Reckless driving could end someone's life."
