Michelle Washington, a former MTA bus driver, was arrested Nov. 21 and booked for a fatal hit and run pedestrian accident that killed 31-year-old Amesha Mishael Keys the night of Aug. 6. According to a QNS news report, the 54-year-old Washington was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to use due care. However, she was not charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
Driver Suspended, Fired and Charged
Washington was driving a QM2 MTA bus on Aug. 6 when she struck Keys as she was crossing Baisley Boulevard near Bedell Street, just two blocks from her home. Washington did not remain at the scene. When police arrived, they found Keys lying in the roadway unconscious and unresponsive. Emergency personnel rushed her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead that next day as a result of her injuries.
An investigation by the NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigation Squad determined that Washington was driving west on Baisley Boulevard approaching Bedell Street and made a left turn onto southbound Bedell Street, hitting Keys. Washington was suspended from her job the next day after she passed routine drug and alcohol testing. She was later fired from her job.
Failure to Yield Right of Way to a Pedestrian
Failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in New York is a serious traffic violation that poses significant risks to public safety. In New York, pedestrians have the right of way at marked crosswalks and unmarked intersections where there are no traffic signals. Drivers are required by law to stop or slow down to allow pedestrians to cross safely.
A failure to yield can lead to severe consequences, including accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities. Common scenarios include drivers turning at intersections, running red lights or ignoring stop signs. Vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly individuals and those with disabilities, are particularly at risk. Legal consequences for failing to yield include traffic tickets, fines, points on the driver’s license, and in severe cases, criminal charges. If a pedestrian is injured, the driver may also face civil liability.
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.
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. You should consult a personal injury lawyer immediately to protect your rights.
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://qns.com/2024/11/former-mta-bus-driver-charged-in-fatal-hit-and-run-that-killed-st-albans-woman-nypd/