van kills two children in chinatown

Really tragic news out of New York... In Chinatown yesterday, two small children were killed when an unoccupied delivery van that had been left in reverse backed into a crowd of people on a busy commercial street: Van Plows Into Line of Children in Chinatown, Killing 2. The accident injured at least eleven other people.

According to authorities, 4-year-old Hayley Ng of the Lower East Side was killed almost immediately. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other children, a 3-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, were critically injured and taken to the hospital. There, about an hour later, the boy died. He was identified as Diego Martinez of Chelsea.

When the accident occurred, around 14 children were being led in a "daisy chain" line -- holding onto each other and accompanied by adult chaperons -- along East Broadway from a library visit back to their day care program.

The van was traveling on East Broadway and appeared to make a three-point turn to make a delivery. Shortly after, according to witness accounts, the van lurched, going in reverse over the curb and onto the sidewalk, according to witnesses.

There were various conflicting reports from authorities as they tried to figure out what happened. But basically, the driver, Chao Fu, double-parked and entered a store, leaving the van running and in reverse gear, thinking it was park. Now two kids are dead. More here: Van jumps curb in horrific Chinatown traffic accident, killing 2 preschoolers and injuring a third.