Nadjari Reid, 51, was killed in a pedestrian accident in East Harlem that was triggered by a chain-reaction collision. According to a report in the New York Daily News, police said a driver was speeding through the area when he ran a red light and caused the chain-reaction crash, which crushed Reid to death between vehicles. Reid’s cousin, Patricia Wilson, told the Daily News that she found Reid with a major leg injury after the crash.
Ongoing Criminal Investigation
Police said the driver of the vehicle, 51-year-old Angel Melendez, was traveling at a high rate of speed on First Avenue when he changed lanes, ran a red light and mounted a concrete island. The car then struck a parked motorcycle and two other parked vehicles. Reid was crossing the street when one of the parked vehicles struck by the speeding driver was pushed into a parked postal truck. Reid was crushed between those two vehicles. Wilson said Reid’s leg was “split open.” She also told the Daily News that the driver appeared intoxicated. The District Attorney’s office said Melendez blew 0.09 on a preliminary breath test. The legal limit is .08.
Melendez was reportedly caught on surveillance camera as far down as East 96th Street speeding and recklessly veering between lanes and driving in bus-only designated lanes, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. The criminal investigation is ongoing. We offer our deepest condolences to the family members, friends and community of Nadjari Reid for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. They will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Speed and Alcohol: A Deadly Mix
Speed and alcohol are two critical factors that significantly increase the likelihood of fatal pedestrian accidents. Higher vehicle speeds drastically reduce a driver’s reaction time and increase the severity of collisions. When a vehicle is traveling at a high speed, the force of impact during a collision is much greater, leading to more severe injuries for pedestrians.
Studies show that the risk of fatality for pedestrians struck by a vehicle rises exponentially with speed. For instance, according to one study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a pedestrian hit by a car traveling at 20 mph has a 10% chance of being killed, but this risk increases to about 90% at 40 mph. Speeding vehicles also require longer stopping distances, making it harder for drivers to avoid collisions.
Alcohol impairs drivers, affecting judgment, reaction times, and coordination. Drivers under the influence of alcohol are more likely to speed, fail to obey traffic signals, and misjudge distances. Their impaired state reduces their ability to react swiftly to sudden changes, such as a pedestrian crossing the road. When combined, speed and alcohol create a deadly mix. An intoxicated driver traveling at high speed has severely diminished control and an increased likelihood of causing a fatal accident.
Injuries and Compensation
Traffic accidents have the potential to result in catastrophic injuries and fatalities. 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.
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 52 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://www.nydailynews.com/2024/07/31/nyc-pedestrian-crushed-to-death-in-chain-reaction-crash-sparked-by-speeding-mercedes-driver/