School Bus With 6 Children on Board Hits, Kills Woman on Upper East Side

Some residents and officials blame Second Avenue subway construction for making it difficult for drivers and pedestrians to see each other

A woman was struck and killed by a school bus carrying six children on the Upper East Side Thursday afternoon.

Police say the school bus was going westbound on East 93rd Street and approaching Second Avenue when it struck the woman, who was crossing the street. 

Authorities say the woman was in her 40s.

None of the students, who were from St. Stephen of Hungary School on East 82nd Street, were injured. Councilman Ben Kallos, whose office is nearby, said his staff helped the children, ages 5 through 11, off the bus. 

The bus driver remained on the scene. No arrests were made. 

While it's not clear what caused the bus to hit the woman, neighbors say construction of the Second Avenue subway has made it difficult for pedestrians and drivers to see each other and the traffic lights clearly.

Assemblyman Dan Quart said drivers and pedestrians are dealing with "lanes that essentially melt into one another and very narrow, tight sidewalks and crosswalks."

"It is inherently difficult and dangerous, and today was the greatest of tragedies in the area," he said. 

Mayor de Blasio has been pushing a plan, dubbed "Vision Zero," to make streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. Last year, 286 people were killed in traffic accidents in New York City, nearly as many as those who were homicide victims.

--Ida Siegal contributed to this story

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