A driver who blew through a stop sign and fatally struck a 63-year-old man in Queens was arrested Dec. 11. According to a report on Streetsblog, police said they charged a 21-year-old driver in connection with this fatal pedestrian accident. The driver was charged with failure to yield, failure to exercise due care and ignoring a stop sign at the scene of the crash – the intersection of Onderdonk and Gates avenues in Ridgewood, Queens. The younger man was driving an SUV and was also charged with a violation for driving with tinted windows.
Fatal Pedestrian Accidents on the Rise
The victim was transported to an area hospital and died from his injuries two days later. Police said the driver was traveling south on Onderdonk Avenue. He ran the stop sign at Gates and made a right turn directly striking the pedestrian with the front of his vehicle, police said. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family.
The pedestrian’s death and the death of another Queens man who died the same day in a suspected DUI crash has pushed the total number of people killed on New York City roadways to 205 this year. That number is up from 192 over the same period last year, which is a 6.7 percent increase. According to the New York Police Department, there have been 41,000 car accidents this year alone, which have resulted in injuries and/or deaths.
Strikingly, failure to yield, failure to exercise due care or running a red light or stop sign was a contributing factor in almost every one of the crashes. Streetsblog also points out that only a small percentage of the drivers are charged in such crashes citywide. Only 15 drivers have been charged in thousands of fatal and injury-causing crashes this year.
Failing to Yield the Right of Way
Drivers who fail to yield the right of way are one of the most common reasons for pedestrian accidents, especially those that result in catastrophic injuries and fatalities. New York law requires drivers to come to a full stop and yield the right of way to pedestrians who are walking in a crosswalk. However, drivers also have an obligation to exercise due care and avoid striking pedestrians on the roadway, even those who are not walking in a crosswalk.
Other factors involved here include driving under the influence or while distracted (talking on a cell phone, texting etc.) or driving at an excessive rate of speed. Some motorists may be driving recklessly. This behavior includes running red lights and stop signs, making unsafe lane changes and unsafe or illegal turns. In such cases where negligence (carelessness) is established, drivers can be held financially responsible for the injuries, damages and losses they cause, even if they are not criminally charged by the authorities.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Injured victims will able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. It is important to remember that pedestrian accident victims may be able to seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if they were not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver has not been charged.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a 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 49 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. 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 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
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Source: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/12/16/suv-driver-runs-over-and-kills-senior-in-queens-and-is-actually-charged/