It’s pushback — with a capital “p” — for a dangerous traffic island in Borough Park.
In what has to be a series of firsts, the community board voted it down and a Department of Sanitation boss dared to say it could cause injuries and deaths.
CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer has exclusive details on the island of trouble.
Ladder 114 recently had trouble rushing to a fire because of a new cement traffic island installed in Borough Park. A backup caused by the traffic island forced an ambulance to pull into oncoming traffic to swerve around the barricade.
That driver was lucky. He made it to Maimonides Hospital two blocks away. But another EMT driver wasn’t. He told Kramer he was stopped dead at the intersection while racing to a patient who had stopped breathing.
Kramer: “How long did you have to wait?”
Driver: “For three traffic light changes. I would say three to four minutes.”
He couldn’t save the patient.
Kramer: “Do you think those three or four minutes could have made a difference?”
Driver: “Ah, I believe so. According to the American Heart Association, if you arrive within four minutes when the patient stops breathing or goes into cardiac arrest the chance of the patient survival is 10 times more.”
“Lives are in danger. That’s the issue,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Borough Park. “Maybe it’s your mother, maybe it’s your grandmother, your grandfather, your father, your child in a very serious situation. The difference of a minute or two or three may be the difference between life and death.”
Is it any wonder then that, in a first, Community Board 12 and its chairman, Alan Dubrow, voted to demand the city remove the traffic islands.
“Tomorrow, if they can’t do it this afternoon,” Dubrow told Kramer.
And in another first the local sanitation supervisor said the islands make it difficult for him to do his job. He emailed his bosses that the islands, saying they “could wind up causing serious injuries or fatalities.” And, “with the snow season upon us, it is of the utmost importance that the medians are removed.”
Department of Transportation officials had an often heated discussion Wednesday with community leaders.
“We will take their information under advisement,” the DOT’s Ann Marie Doherty told Kramer.
So now the ball is in the city’s court. But the big question is whether it can admit that it may have made a mistake.
A DOT spokesman said safety is the “sole reason” for the pedestrian refuge islands.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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8 Responses
My understanding from a DOT official is that a CB12 was duly notified and a Deputy Borough Commissioner made a brief presentation to the Board. The Board members present had no questions for DOT.
If this is true, the Board failed the community terribly.
These islands are sheer lunacy and other Community Boards have stood up to DOT and stopped some of them.
Wow -an EMT didn’t know how to treat a non-breathing patient. The poor dispatch EMT’s who ignored a patient on their break who was having an asthma attack -the whole world hated them. One died and the other is being prosecuted. They couldn’t have done anything for the pt. anyway- they had no equipment. These EMT’s going to MMC, who had the responsibility to treat the pt. -they weren’t off duty -blame the DOT?! What a backwards world! An Olom Hasheker!
Its a disaster! Why is coney island any different than ft. Hamilton? Aren’t there any old people that supposedly can’t cross the crosswalk in less than 45 seconds?!
Extend the green lights for the crossers as they have done on Queens blvd.
# 2. Please RE-READ the story !
” He told Kramer he was stopped dead at the intersection while racing to a patient who had stopped breathing. ”
NOT RACING TO THE HOSPITAL.
And he followed up
“Ah, I believe so. According to the American Heart Association, if you arrive within four minutes when the patient stops breathing or goes into cardiac arrest the chance of the patient survival is 10 times more.”
He had the equipment BUT couldn’t reach the patient….
To “Health”; I don’t like calling people names, but you are an imbecile. When someone stops breathing, its only a matter of time before they go into cardiac arrest. Notice the article said EMT, and not Paramedic. EMT do not have the ability to intubate, in fact Paramedics don’t always have the ability to intubate. The delay of patient care and the ultimate demise of the patient have nothing to do with the ambulance provider, but rather with the failed radical policies of DOT commissioner Sadik-Khan.
HPO – I see what your saying, but the writer should have put it in another paragraph, because it’s not connected to previous. Another point -maybe the delay was due to the construction of these islands, which is ongoing, but the islands themselves won’t present such a problem. Also, if he was delayed in response so long, he should have called for another unit, which is possible he did, but this story needs further clarification. Responders get stuck in traffic everyday and always inform their dispatch. I don’t like the knee-jerk reaction of blaming the city gov. from one person stuck in traffic, to make a political point! Perhaps these islands will be of benefit for the safety of the pedestrians in the area. If you don’t know, NYC has a major problem with pedestrian accidents!
Commisioner of what? It’s funny that you are calling me names. Go back to the dictionary that you found the word “intubate”, and look up the word “BVM”. This is the most necessary skill that an EMT needs to be proficient in!