A 37-year-old man was killed in a Brooklyn pedestrian accident after a New York City sanitation truck that was allegedly driving the wrong way down a one-way street hit him. According to an ABC News report, the crash occurred near the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section. The truck driver remained at the scene of the collision where the pedestrian was pronounced dead.
Ongoing Investigation
Officials say the truck was traveling west on the Eastern Parkway Service Road when it approached the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue. The driver made an improper right turn northbound on Brooklyn Avenue going southbound, against the flow of traffic. The victim was walking eastbound in a marked crosswalk when he was struck. The truck then traveled over the pedestrian’s body continuing northbound in the wrong direction, dragging the man for several feet. The driver then turned around in the correct direction and came to a stop.
When police arrived, the sanitation truck was parked facing the right direction on Brooklyn Avenue as if it had been heading north when the pedestrian was hit. However, when police watched surveillance camera video, they saw the garbage truck was going the wrong way, before colliding with the pedestrian and had then turned around.
The 33-year-old driver of the garbage truck has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, driving the wrong direction on a one-way street and failure to exercise due care. The Department of Sanitation released a statement saying the driver has been suspended and that they are investigating the incident in addition to the NYPD investigation.
Pedestrian Accident Liability Issues
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), pedestrians were one of the few groups of road users to experience an increase in fatalities in the United States in 2016, totaling 5,987 deaths. On average, a pedestrian was killed every 1.5 hours in traffic accidents, NHTSA estimated. A majority of pedestrian accidents are caused by drivers who violate the law especially by failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians at marked crosswalks. New York law requires motorists to come to a complete stop at crosswalks and allow pedestrians to pass before proceeding.
Pedestrian accidents tend to result in major injuries even if the individual survives the accident. Catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage and internal injuries are common for such victims. In cases where commercial or municipal vehicles are involved, the driver of the truck and his or her employer may be held liable for negligent employee hiring and/or retention as well as the injuries, damages and losses caused, and for other reasons also.
It is important to note that you may be entitled to compensation even if you were not walking in a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision. Our law firm has secured compensation for pedestrians who were not walking in a crosswalk when their injury crash occurred. We have recovered millions of dollars for pedestrians who were not in crosswalks.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Victims who have been injured in a pedestrian accident may be able to obtain 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. Families that have lost loved ones in a pedestrian accident may also seek damages by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
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 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.
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
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://abc7ny.com/37-year-old-man-killed-by-wrong-way-sanitation-truck/4461445/