Dump Truck Strikes, Kills Elderly Man Walking Near Foot of Manhattan Bridge: Police

A 78-year-old man was struck and killed by a green dump truck as he tried to cross Canal Street at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge Friday, authorities say.

Police say the truck driver had the right of way when the man was hit around 12:30 p.m. Police found the man lying in the middle of the intersection with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead at the New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital at 1 p.m. A sandal and a grocery bag could be seen where the man was struck.

The 24-year-old driver, who remained at the scene, was taken away in a police car, and sources familiar with the investigation tell NBC 4 New York the driver had a suspended license. He was arrested on related charges, police said.

The victim's identity has been withheld pending family notification, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to city statistics, 7,985 pedestrians have been injured by motor vehicles to date this year, the same number as were injured in all of 2014. Twenty-four pedestrians have died in such accidents so far in 2015, compared with 132 in in 2014 and 180 in 2013.

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