Riverdalian killed on deadly Broadway

Riverdale resident Nilo Montilla, 57, was struck and killed by a school bus at around 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, near the corner of Broadway and Mosholu Avenue.

Police said Mr. Montilla, a Seaman Radio Dispatch livery cab driver, was crossing Broadway when a bus turning off Mosholu Avenue hit him and dragged him about 10 feet. A cab driver at the scene said police and medics responded quickly; squad cars and an ambulance converged on the scene while a helicopter hovered overhead.

Fellow cab driver Manuel Gil said at first those at the taxi stand did not recognize their fallen colleague.

“We didn’t know that was him, they said car 238 had an accident, but we saw his car over here so we didn’t realize that was him,” Mr. Gil said. “Then [other drivers] went over and saw him, but they didn’t recognize him.” 

A Seaman representative said Mr. Montilla was with the company for more than five years. 

“We’re very sad, you know, we’re trying to handle it. We stopped the company for an hour to think about him,” Mr. Gil said. “We’re in shock, we’re in shock right now. We don’t know what to do.”

Mr. Montilla’s death is the latest in a long string of fatalities along Broadway in Riverdale.

Since 1995, the stretch of Broadway that runs between Manhattan College Parkway and Mosholu Avenue has seen 16 pedestrian injuries and eight fatalities, according to CrashStat, an online project funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. After 25-year-old Ana Estevez was killed crossing Broadway in April 2010, the Department of Transportation began studying the corridor, but has yet to recommend any changes.

The bus driver, who told police he was on his way to work and didn’t see Mr. Montilla, was issued traffic citations for failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to use due care. Police said the driver passed an alcohol test and was not charged criminally.

Reporting contributed by Byron Smith.