The driver of an Access-A-Ride van that struck and killed 88-year-old Ngan Yuan on Sept. 8 has been charged. According to a WABC news report, Yuan was in the crosswalk of Canal and Allen streets in Chinatown late morning when the van struck her as it made a right turn. Officers who arrived at the scene found Yuan unconscious with head and body trauma. She was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police say the driver of the MTA-owned van has been charged with failure to yield and exercise due care. The driver did remain at the scene of the crash. Police say the investigation is ongoing and that MTA is fully cooperating.
In another pedestrian accident in Midtown, police are searching for a FedEx driver accused of striking and critically injuring a pedestrian on Sept. 9. Officials say the incident occurred early morning in Columbus Circle. Police say the driver traveling south on Ninth Avenue, made a left turn on 57th Street and struck a man in his 20s. The driver left the scene. Police are still searching for the driver and truck. No further details are available about this hit-and-run crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these pedestrian accidents, as well as their respective families.
Failure to Yield
Some of the deadliest pedestrian accidents occur in crosswalks and at street intersections. Failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians is one of the most common causes of vehicle versus pedestrian accidents in crosswalks and at street intersections. New York law requires drivers to come to a complete stop at a crosswalk where pedestrians are walking and wait until pedestrians have crossed the road, before proceeding.
Impairment, inattention and/or distraction tend to be factors that are cited in cases where a driver fails to see a pedestrian who is crossing at an intersection. When this occurs, the at-fault driver can be held liable for the injuries, damages and losses caused. Some of the common injuries suffered in these types of accidents include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, broken bones, internal organ damage, etc.
Injuries and Damages
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 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 the 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.
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 who has lost a loved one in a hit-and-run crash can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
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 51 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
Sources: https://abc7ny.com/nyc-pedestrian-struck-chinatown-manhattan/13758426/
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/fedex-truck-driver-hit-and-run-columbus-circle/