The danger at Vanderbilt/Dean, Part 2: a contributing factor in crashes?

Update 10 pm: representatives of the 78th Precinct said that, according to extant records, each of the crashes was caused by an identifiable factor, such as driver error. I'm still not convinced that the fence wasn't a factor.

11/4/15, midnight

Yes, the "ginormous," "incredibly obnoxious" (to quote Forest City Ratner CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin) 16-foot green wall that extends into Dean Street, Vanderbilt Avenue, and Carlton Avenue to protect residents from construction noise has not only caused significant traffic jams but also continues to pose hazards.

Those hazards go beyond the snagged traffic and impaired visibility described separately. According to a resident who lives at the corner and forwarded the photos below, the wall is a contributing factor in several automobile crashes.

Without more information, it's tough to isolate all the causes, such as speed or alcohol, especially since several happened late at night.

But if traffic is delayed and perspective skewed by the wall, it's not unreasonable to consider it a factor. The resident adds: "the problem is that the wall forces [southbound] cars into the turn lane in the center of the road, and then drivers must swerve back into the normal lane after passing through the intersection. if a driver is not paying attention, driving without a car in front, going too fast, or has driven through before the wall and has muscle memory of just driving straight through, they will drive directly into the guard bell, as all these other cars have done. The sooner the wall can be removed the better."

Perhaps we'll learn more about this at the 78th Precinct Council meeting tonight, since it has not come up at previous meetings.

The photos above right and below show a single-car crash at midnight on 11/4/15.

11/4/15, midnight

11/25/15, 3:30 am

The photos at left and below show the aftermath of a 3:30am multi-car accident at intersection.

One car crashed into the new Korean restaurant Bopsot (in the old Le Gamin space), leaving the storefront damaged. Bopsot has remained closed since then.

Both cars, however, fled, cars fled the scene.

A commentator wrote on Brooklynian:

"def not a normal car accident. there were two cars involved and they may have collided at the intersection first before one ran into bopsot, but *both* of them fled the scene afterwards, even though they must have had extensive damage (judging by the amount of oil/fluid/debris) and couldnt have gone far. would be interested to hear how the detectives sort this one out."

11/25/15, 3:30 am

The photo below shows a single-car crash into the median and protective bell.

1/3/16, 4 am

The photos below show a single car accident during the dinner rush at 8 pm. The limo, according to the photographer, was connected to the New York Islanders. The driver had to be hospitalized. The guard bell was destroyed.