Segundo Reina-Gaon, 74, was killed in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the night of Sept. 11. According to a WABC news report, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred when Reina-Gaon was crossing Ridge Boulevard in the crosswalk, west to east, and was struck by a northbound white SUV. The victim was pushed into a parked car. The driver of the SUV did not stop or remain at the scene.
Ongoing Investigation
Reina-Gaon was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police looked at surveillance video of the fatal crash and used a drone to piece together what occurred, WABC reports. Residents told the news outlet that reckless drivers are common in their neighborhood.
Senator Andrew Gounardes posted on social media that he had spoken with city Department of Transportation officials just two days before this fatal collision regarding safety concerns a block away from where the hit-and-run occurred. We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of Segundo Reina-Gaon for their tragic loss. The investigation into this fatal hit-and-run crash is still ongoing.
Drivers’ Responsibility to Pedestrians
In New York City, drivers have a legal responsibility to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. According to New York’s traffic laws, drivers must stop for pedestrians crossing the street at both marked and unmarked crosswalks when there is no traffic signal, or when the pedestrian has the right of way.
Failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk can result in fines, points on the driver’s license, and in some cases, criminal charges if injury occurs. Additionally, the city enforces strict penalties as part of its Vision Zero initiative to reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities. Drivers must exercise caution, slow down at intersections, and stay vigilant for pedestrians entering or already in the crosswalk.
New York’s hit-and-run laws make it illegal for a driver to leave the scene of an accident without providing identification or assisting injured parties. If a driver causes property damage, they must stop and exchange information with the other party. If personal injury occurs, drivers are required to offer reasonable assistance, including calling for medical help. Fleeing the scene of an accident can result in serious penalties including fines, license suspension, and potential jail time. If the hit-and-run results in severe injury or death, the penalties increase significantly, possibly leading to felony charges and imprisonment.
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 that has lost a loved one in a hit-and-run crash can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
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://abc7ny.com/post/surveillance-video-captures-fatal-hit-run-crash-bay-ridge-brooklyn/15294275/