Cars kill 537 New Yorkers

One hundred years ago today … Reckless drivers threatened the lives of New Yorkers. At 43rd Street and 1st Avenue, a “Mrs. August Hornstein” was killed by an automobile driver in a hit-and-run. This was a day after Joseph Kramer, an 11-year-old, was killed by driver Arthur Lipke at Bushwick Avenue and Beaver Street in Brooklyn.

These were the 536th and 537th known automobile fatalities of the year in NYC. The News had been updating the total since at least March 7, the day that it reported the death of 5-year-old Adelaide Santonocito at 116th and Lexington Avenue.

*Daily News*, 7 March 1921, p. 26. *Newspapers.com.*

As above, the News would occasionally diagram the killings, such as this one of 5-year-old Milton Slifkin on Madison Street.

It printed images of cars from non-fatal crashes as well.

*Daily News*, 10 October, 1921, p. 13. *Newspapers.com.*

*Daily News*, 7 July, 1921, p. 11. *Newspapers.com.*

The holiday weekend had been particularly bad. “There were numerous automobile accidents in this borough [Brooklyn] and Queens during the holiday” (“23 Die Suddenly, Many Are Hurt During Holiday,” Brooklyn Times Union, 27 December, 1921, p. 2). The News counted two dead, 31 injured in NYC and environs on Xmas (Two Killed, 31 Hurt in Holiday Auto Accidents,” Daily News, 26 December, 1921, p. 23.)

Underscoring the point that the city streets were chaotic and dangerous, the News’ ongoing feature, “Do You Remember ‘Way Back When,” focused on the danger of crossing Columbus Circle.

– Jonathan Goldman, Dec. 28, 2021

TAGS: death, automobile, cars, crashes, pedestrian, accident, safety, streets, manslaughter, law