The driver of a New York City Police Department van struck and killed a man standing in the center median of a Brooklyn thoroughfare the night of April 7. According to a news report in The New York Times, the vehicle was traveling west on Eastern Parkway near Schenectady Avenue in Crown Heights when it struck the 53-year-old man. The victim was rushed to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this pedestrian accident victim.
Officials said four people under arrest were being transported in the van to the 77th Precinct when the incident occurred. This pedestrian accident fatality comes amid a years-long effort to reduce accident-related deaths on the city’s streets and sidewalks. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio began the Vision Zero Program seven years ago. However, the city has struggled to reduce the number of fatal bicycle and pedestrian accidents.
Increase in Pedestrian Fatalities
In 2021, New York City saw its highest levels of traffic fatalities in nearly a decade. The 77th Precinct, the Times reports, which covers portions of Crown Heights and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, has among the highest rates of recorded traffic injuries relative to its population of all the city police precincts so far this year, involving 15 pedestrians and 46 motorists through the end of February.
Across the city, from Jan. 1 through March 19, 29 pedestrians were killed in traffic collisions. There were 25 pedestrians killed in collisions during the same time frame last year and 129 in all of 2021. Mayor Eric Adams made a pledge in January to revamp Vision Zero.
The New York City Department of Transportation announced it would make design improvements to 1,000 intersections citywide, prioritizing locations where serious injuries and fatalities have occurred. NYPD officials have said they will increase enforcing rules for drivers who don’t yield to pedestrians crossing the street. Nationwide, more than 6,700 pedestrians were killed in 2020, a 5% increase from the year before, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
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 lost future income, medical and funeral costs, pain and suffering, etc.
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.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should also 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 50 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 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 obtained $295,000 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 and/or medical malpractice 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.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/nyregion/nypd-van-kills-pedestrian.html