Klara Litvak, 89, was killed, and two others were injured, in a pedestrian accident after they were struck by a minivan on Oct. 15. According to a report in The Brooklyn Paper, the driver of a minivan struck three people — Litvak, a 75-year-old woman and a 43-year-old woman — on the sidewalk outside a shopping center on Neptune Avenue. Litvak was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead. The other victims were taken to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition.
Fatal Pedestrian Accident Investigation
Police said another driver struck the minivan and pushed it onto the sidewalk. Police initially said the driver of the minivan, an 89-year-old man, had backed up onto the sidewalk and suspected he may have suffered a medical episode. The ongoing investigation has shown, however, that an 83-year-old woman driving a sedan struck the front of the minivan and that impact forced the minivan up the curb, striking the pedestrians.
The minivan’s driver was hospitalized in stable condition and the driver of the sedan remained at the scene. No arrests have been made in connection with this crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with Litvak’s family and the other injured victims. The Brooklyn Paper reports that pedestrian deaths from car crashes are up across Brooklyn, according to the latest NYPD statistics. In the 60th Precinct, where this recent fatal crash occurred, there had been 84 pedestrian accidents as of Oct. 12, up 4% from the same time last year.
Dangers to Pedestrians
Pedestrian accidents caused by vehicle collisions are a serious concern in New York City where high traffic volumes and dense foot traffic often intersect. Despite efforts to improve street safety through initiatives like Vision Zero, hundreds of pedestrians are injured or killed each year due to driver negligence (carelessness), speeding, failure to yield and distracted driving. Intersections and crosswalks are common sites for such accidents, particularly in busy boroughs like Manhattan and Brooklyn.
When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle, the injuries can be severe including fractures, head trauma and internal injuries. Liability in such cases falls on the negligent (careless) party such as the driver, especially if he or she violated traffic laws, the vehicle’s owner, and the employer if the driver was on-the-job at the time. In some instances, poor road design can also be a factor and result in an accident.
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 bicycle accident or 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. If you have been injured, it is in your best interest in such cases to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for your injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company.
For over 54 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 $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. We also recovered $1,500,000 for a lady who was hurt by a bus.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). 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. Also, we got a $1,400,000 verdict in a motorcycle accident.
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-hit-pedestrians-coney-island-struck-by-car/