8-year-old Boy Killed in Queens Pedestrian Accident

An 8-year-old boy who was walking with his sister to his school in Queens was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. According to a report in The New York Times, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred at a Queens intersection just two blocks away from his home. Officials say the third grader walked across the intersection of 61st Street and Northern Boulevard in Woodside when the tractor-trailer’s rear tires struck him as the driver was making a left turn onto Northern Boulevard. The boy’s sister, who was walking with him, was not hit. The boy’s family had just arrived two months ago from Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Times reports. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the child’s family for their tragic loss.

Potentially Dangerous Intersection
The truck driver, a 51-year-old Newark man, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was reportedly working for Roadtex Transportation Corporation, a New Jersey-based shipping company. The Times reports that Roadtex Transportation Corporation has been sued multiple times for negligence including six times in the tristate area. Their trucks have also been involved in several fatal collisions, records show.
Many parents at the school told the Times that there often was no crossing guard at the intersection where the boy was killed and that drivers tended to speed there. The child’s death comes about a month and a half after a 9-year-old boy was killed when the driver of a Ford Expedition plowed into a group of people on a street corner in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Spike in Queens Pedestrian Accidents
A recent report in the New York Daily News also states that more than 20 percent of all emergency room injuries in Elmhurst Hospital, Queens, involve traffic accidents and pedestrians. Doctors at the busy hospital say they hope stepped-up enforcement actions can help bring the number of pedestrian accidents down.
The hospital recorded 296 pedestrian injury cases in 2012, up from 275 the previous year and the highest number in the decade. A majority of those injured last year – 215 – involved pedestrians and 81 involved bicyclists. The report also states that the hot spots for accidents in Queens include Queens Boulevard, Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard, where the most recent fatal pedestrian accident involving the boy occurred.
Protecting Victims’ Rights
Injured pedestrians can claim compensation for damages from the driver or his or her employer. If a dangerous roadway or intersection caused the accident, the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining the roadway can also be held liable. If you or a loved one has been injured or if you have lost a loved one as a result of a pedestrian accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our skilled attorneys have a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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Sources: The New York Times