A 58-year-old woman who was walking near her Midwood home was struck and killed after a speeding driver ran a red light and crashed into another car that went careening into the victim. According to a Streetsblog.com news report, the pedestrian accident occurred when the woman was crossing Ocean Avenue with the light and in the crosswalk at the intersection of Avenue J. Police said that’s when the driver of a 2015 Kia traveling south on Ocean at an “apparent high rate of speed” ran a red light and crashed into an eastbound Lexus, which in turn rammed the woman slamming her to the pavement.
Fatal Pedestrian Accident
She died from her injuries at a local hospital. The Kia’s driver initially fled the scene but was soon
apprehended and charged with multiple counts including manslaughter, negligent homicide, vehicular assault, failure to yield to a pedestrian, a red light violation, failure to exercise due care, speeding and reckless driving.
Streetsblog reports that the area of the 70th Precinct comprising Ocean Avenue, Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Parkway – three streets with a lot of speeding vehicles – is one of the most dangerous in the city. In 2019 alone, in the 25-block zone centered on Avenue J, there were 392 crashes injuring five bicyclists 32 pedestrians and 101 motorists. The intersection where this fatal pedestrian accident occurred has been the scene of 24 crashes since January 2019 injured four pedestrians and 21 motorists.
Reckless Driving
Based on this news report, it appears that the driver who police say caused the crash was speeding and ran a red light, which are both violations of New York’s traffic laws. Reckless driving is one of the most common causes of pedestrian accidents in New York City. With the coronavirus pandemic, we have been hearing about reports of people driving at an excessive rate of speed. Many cities around the country have also reported an increase in street racing because of empty roadways.
The relationship between the speed at the time of impact and a pedestrian’s risk of death has been studied extensively. The higher the vehicle speed, the greater the risk of catastrophic injuries and death for the pedestrian. These types of pedestrian accidents result in major injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, internal organ damage and multiple broken bones. These are the crashes that may also result in permanent injuries and disabilities.
Injured pedestrian accident victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims can also seek compensation in such cases by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
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 (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.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should remember that they may be able to seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if they were not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver has not been 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.
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. 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 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://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/06/pedestrian-killed-in-three-car-crash-speeding-driver-charged/