A man was fatally injured in a car accident when an out-of-control driver hit his motor scooter before crashing into an outdoor dining structure. According to a report on Patch.com, the car’s driver, a 60-year-old woman, was northbound on 35th Street near Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, the night of April 29 when she struck the man on the scooter.
Fatality and Injuries
She continued driving, dragging the victim’s body and scooter under her car,
hitting two other parked cars and finally came to a stop when she barreled through the outdoor dining structure on Ditmars Boulevard, police said. The man, 37, from Elmhurst, was found unconscious on the street and later pronounced dead. Several sources have identified him as a delivery worker. A 32-year-old woman who was dining at a curb-facing table was taken to the hospital with injuries to both of her legs.
The restaurant’s general manager told the New York Times that a tree and an electrical pole near the restaurant’s outdoor structure probably slowed down the woman’s car or she would have crashed into the restaurant. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased victim and everyone who has been affected by this incident.
Prior Outdoor Dining Collisions
The crash occurred on the same day that the City Council voted to make the city’s Open Streets program, which provides more room for outdoor dining and pedestrian space in the street, permanent. This is not the first time outdoor dining structures, which have become popular during the coronavirus pandemic, have been struck by vehicles.
In August, a woman having lunch at a restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was injured when a car hit a barricade that struck the woman. That incident followed another one three days earlier in which two vehicles collided in an intersection on the Upper East Side and one of them careened into an outdoor seating area that was closed at the time. The driver and two people at the scene were injured. Also, in December, a driver lost control of a car that slammed into outdoor seating at a restaurant on Bailey Avenue in the Bronx. That restaurant was closed at the time as well.
Recklessness and Negligence (Carelessness)
Officials are still looking into what caused the April 29 fatal crash in Queens. It is critical that these outdoor dining areas are made safer for patrons given the number of crashes we’ve had in the last several months. In many instances, speeding or negligent (careless) drivers cause such types of crashes. Several eyewitnesses told media outlets that the vehicle that crashed into the dining area was traveling at a high rate of speed right before the Astoria incident occurred.
We’ve also seen a number of fatal car crashes as well as pedestrian and bicycle accidents in New York City caused by speeding drivers over the last year, which officials say, was largely due to the roadways being emptier from the coronavirus pandemic. Drivers who breach their duty of care to others are said to be negligent (careless) and in addition to facing criminal charges and penalties, may be held financially responsible for the injuries, damages and losses they cause to victims and their families.
Injured victims of car 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 lost future income, medical and funeral costs, pain and suffering, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car 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.
For nearly 50 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/or 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://patch.com/new-york/astoria-long-island-city/1-dead-after-car-plows-outdoor-dining-structure-astoria