The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Pedestrian Killed By Car On Bedford

A speeding driver fatally struck an up-and-coming reggae singer in Flatbush early yesterday, police and family members said. Jean Bigord, 53, of Brooklyn, was driving west on Sterling Street when he crossed the double yellow lines at Bedford Avenue at 3:05 a.m., cops said. He smashed his 2006 Crown Victoria into a parked car, jumped the curb and hit a building. Then he slammed into pedestrian Chris Hutchinson, 39, whose reggae stage name was Chris Iqon, police and family said. Hutchinson died at Kings County Hospital. His grieving sister, Michelle, called him “a funny person who liked to make people laugh. He was an entertainer.” - the NY Post this morn
And more here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

When Emma Blumstein was killed a block away from here, there were comments here wondering why cyclists don't always wear helmets and arguing that this makes them more vulnerable to injury (and, implicitly, that it might have saved Blumstein from getting killed--which is really likely given that a truck ran over her with both its front and back tires). This happened a block away from where she was killed. Why not wonder aloud how this person might possibly have been at fault for his brutal killing?

MattOnLincoln said...

According to Streetsblog, driver "was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, aggravated unlicensed operation, reckless driving, driving while ability impaired, speeding and other violations, according to court records."

I hope that the community can comfort Michelle and others in his family at this tragic time.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/07/06/christopher-hutchinson-killed-in-brooklyn-driver-charged-with-manslaughter/

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:46, a person standing on a sidewalk is doing nothing to imperil their lives. If he had been jaywalking or crossing midblock, people would be asking the same questions as when the cyclist got killed. A helmet is for risk mitigation and it pays to mitigate the risk; get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

Except that jaywalking and crossing midblock are illegal, while riding without a helmet is not.

Ever notice how it is not illegal to drive a car without wearing a helmet? Thousands of drivers a year would avoid death if they wore a helmet while driving, so why not mitigate that risk too? Better yet, why not drive (and bike) in a kevlar vest - that would mitigate even more risk!

Oh yeah, and get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

7:43, I hope you enjoy many helmetless bike rides. I'll be watching the news.

Anonymous said...

and another pointless argument begins on the internet!
yay!