What I hoped to be writing here this morning was a thumbnail sketch of my night out with Laura last night, when we attended a preview screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest at the Ziegfeld.

But immediately afterward, a loud thump soured what had been a terrifically fun evening. We were walking west on 54th toward Seventh Avenue. A section of sidewalk on our side of the street had been blocked off, forcing pedestrians out into traffic—which, typically, was moving too fast. There weren't barriers or safety cones or anything set up. A long semi was parked just beyond the blocked-off area, so there was a long way to walk in the street before being able to get back to the sidewalk.

We managed it fine, but we were about a quarter-block past the mess when we heard a sickening thump from behind us. Laura said, "Someone just got hit by a car."

We both looked back. All we could see around the parked semi was a couple of cars with their brakelights on and a whole lot of pedestrians converging. We decided there were enough people there already and that going to see what had happened would only contribute to the chaos, but today I think we both wish we knew what happened and how it turned out. I've been searching for any news reports online, but no luck.