Eugene Schroeder, 56, was killed in a hit-and-run bicycle accident in Brooklyn the night of March 9. According to a news report on Streetsblog.org, the fatal crash occurred when Schroeder was riding southbound in the painted bike lane on Morgan Avenue and stopped at a stop sign at Johnson Avenue in Williamsburg. The driver of the unidentified vehicle was going parallel to the bicyclist and turned right onto Johnson Avenue cutting off Schroeder and striking him. Schroeder suffered severe head trauma.
The driver of the vehicle, which police said was likely a truck, fled the scene. Schroeder was taken to local hospital where he died. He is the eighth bicyclist to be killed this year, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. At this point last year, two bicyclists had been killed in the city. Schroeder lived nearby on Wilson Avenue. We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the victim for their tremendous loss. They will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Dangers Faced by Bicyclists
The area of East Williamsburg where Schroeder was struck is largely industrial although more and more people have been moving into the area to the point where officials have cited gentrification in industrial zones as a cause of increasing bicyclist deaths. This is also the location of a recent crash where a bicyclist was killed when a truck driver made an illegal U-turn on Vandervoort Avenue near Calhoun Avenue, Streetsblog reports.
Based on the article, the area around this hit-and-run bicycle accident is getting more dangerous. Between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2016, there were 73 reported crashes in and around the intersection of Morgan and Johnson avenues injuring four bicyclists and 12 motorists, according to city statistics. From 2017 though 2019, the number of reported crashes rose to 89 including six bicyclists, four pedestrians and 11 motorists. From 2020 through 2022, the number of reported crashes declined, but the number of injuries to bicyclists rose to eight.
Advocates are calling for the city to do more. Transportation Alternatives, a safety advocacy group, has pointed out that under 2% of street miles in Council District 34 have a protected bike lane, according to a mapping tool created by the organization. The website Crashmapper indicates that the 90th Precinct where Schroeder was killed is the third most dangerous precinct for pedestrians and bicyclists in New York City. In 2022, the precinct, which covers the area from the East River to the Queens border, reported 1,966 crashes —amounting to 5.4 per day. Those collisions injured 170 bicyclists, 145 pedestrians and 454 motorists, Streetsblog reports.
Compensation for Hit-and-Run Victims
In a hit-and-run collision, the driver and vehicle owner are both responsible parties even if the owner was not driving when the accident occurred. If the driver was on the job and/or operating a company vehicle at the time, his or her employer can also be held liable. When the driver is apprehended in a hit-and-run case, he or she can be held financially liable for the injuries, damages and losses caused. Such drivers can be held financially responsible whether or not they are arrested and/or charged. If a hit-and-run driver has injured you, please remember that you can seek compensation through the uninsured motorist clause of your auto insurance policy (even though the driver has not been identified) or through a quasi-state agency if there is no motor vehicle in the victim’s household.
Victims and their families in such cases should retain an experienced personal injury lawyer right away to help protect their legal rights. A family who has lost a loved one in a hit-and-run crash can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Injured victims of bicycle accidents can seek compensation from at-fault parties for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones in such accidents can seek compensation for damages such as lost future income, medical and funeral costs, pain and suffering, etc.
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.
For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims. 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 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). Also, 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.
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 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://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/03/10/breaking-cyclist-killed-by-hit-and-run-trucker-in-industrial-williamsburg/