Ramonita Colon, 72, was struck and killed the afternoon of April 21 when a driver had a medical episode and crashed into a bench near a Bronx bus stop, police said. According to a report on Gothamist.com, Colon was sitting on a bench at the intersection of Bartow Avenue and Co-op City Boulevard in Co-op City when a vehicle jumped the curb. Colon was pinned under the car and suffered severe physical injuries, officials said.
Ongoing Fatal Crash Investigation
Police said the 55-year-old man driving the Mazda was transported to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition. A 38-year-old man who was also sitting on the bus bench was taken to the same hospital for treatment. No arrests were made in connection with this pedestrian accident. Officials said Colon lived in Wakefield, two miles north of where she was killed.
Gothamist reports that so far this year, citywide, traffic deaths are at about the same level they were at during this time in 2025. NYPD data shows there were 52 such deaths as of April 19 compared to 53 by that date last year. The investigation into this fatal collision is ongoing.
Liability Issues
Accidents caused by drivers who suffer sudden medical episodes can present a serious danger to vulnerable pedestrians. When drivers experience events such as seizures, heart attacks or loss of consciousness, they may lose control of their vehicles without warning. Pedestrians, especially children, the elderly and individuals with disabilities, are at heightened risk because they lack physical protection and may not be able to react quickly.
Medical episodes behind the wheel raise complex questions about driver negligence (carelessness). If a driver was aware of a medical condition and ignored medical advice, skipped treatment or failed to report risks when required, his or her actions can potentially be considered negligent (careless). In such cases, courts often examine medical history, compliance with treatment and licensing disclosures to determine whether the driver acted responsibly before the incident occurred.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries
A pedestrian involved in a collision with a vehicle often suffers catastrophic or serious injuries. Common injuries typically include broken bones, head trauma, spinal cord damage and soft tissue injuries. In severe cases, victims may suffer traumatic brain injuries from striking the pavement or long-term disabilities that need ongoing medical care and rehabilitation.
Injured pedestrians may be able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitation, permanent injuries, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones may be able to seek compensation as well by filing a wrongful death claim against the at-fault parties.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, 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, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not charged. Our law firm recovered the full one-million-dollar insurance policy for a girl who was not in the crosswalk when a motor vehicle hit her.
For over 54 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. We also recovered $1,500,000 for a lady who was hurt by a bus, although there was only a 1 million dollar insurance policy and we got $500,000 above that insurance policy.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). One of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases. Also, we got a $1,400,000 verdict in a motorcycle 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, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, 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
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://gothamist.com/news/driver-having-medical-episode-fatally-strikes-72-year-old-woman-on-bronx-bench-police