Esther Sealy, 87, was killed in a pedestrian accident in Canarsie, Brooklyn, the evening of Jan. 17. According to a report in the Brooklyn Paper, Sealy was attempting to cross East 88th Street at Avenue L, toward East 86th Street, when she was struck by a minivan. After hitting the woman, the driver struck an empty parked car and then stopped and remained on the scene until police arrived. Paramedics rushed Sealy who had suffered severe body trauma to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Sealy lived barely a block away from the scene of the crash, NYPD officials said. Police have not made any arrests in this case pending an ongoing investigation. We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Esther Sealy for their tragic loss.
Dangers Faced by Elderly Pedestrians
The Brooklyn Paper reports that there are no stop signs on Avenue L at East 88th Street and crosswalks are only present east-west along the avenue. Sealy’s death was the first traffic-related fatality in Brooklyn this year, NYPD reports. In 2024, according to safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, at least 36 pedestrians died in collisions as of Dec. 2. A majority of those killed were older adults.
Last April, an 87-year-old woman was killed by a car that was left in gear in Gravesend. In June, a 63-year-old wheelchair user was fatally injured by a driver in Brownsville. That happened just weeks before an 83-year-old woman was fatally struck by a dump truck driver in Boerum Hill.
According to Transportation Alternatives, almost half of the elderly pedestrians killed in 2024 in the city were in Brooklyn. Safety advocates are calling for the city to protect its most vulnerable pedestrians including “daylighting every intersection.” Daylighting refers to preventing cars from parking too close to intersections. This helps improve visibility for both pedestrians and drivers. It is often accompanied by physical barriers meant to slow down drivers who are turning at intersection. Last fall, Mayor Eric Adams said he would daylight 1,000 intersections. Transportation Alternatives noted that in 2024, 18 elderly pedestrians were fatally injured at intersections, but not one was killed at an intersection with “hard, physical infrastructure daylighting every corner.”
Injuries and Compensation
Injured victims of pedestrian accidents and 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 pedestrian accidents can seek compensation for damages such as medical and funeral costs, pain and suffering, lost future income, etc.
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.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident or bicycle 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 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. We 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. 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://www.brooklynpaper.com/driver-hits-kills-87-year-old-ped-canarsie/