Ten delivery bicyclists have died just in the first nine months of 2021 on city streets, which is three more than all the delivery bicyclist deaths last year, according to research done by the Worker’s Justice Product and The Worker Institute of Cornell University’s ILR School. According to a report in the West Side Spirit, the report opens with the names of all the delivery workers who have died in bicycle accidents in New York City so far this year.
What the Report Shows
The New York City Department of Transportation’s numbers show an increase in bicycle ridership during almost every month of the year, both in 2020 and 2021. While that is a good trend for the environment, the increase in bicycles and riders has also resulted in more bicycle accidents. This is linked to the fact that the city saw an increase in speeding motorists during the pandemic. Also, statistics suggest that more people are buying SUVs, which are safer for drivers and passengers, but pose a greater threat to the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.
While fatal accidents are a major concern, injuries are also becoming a far more common occurrence, the reports states. DOT statistics show that there are nearly 3,000 bicycle accident injuries this year citywide. According to a safety advocacy group for delivery workers, many workers have been victims of bicycle accidents two or even three times.
According to DOT data, of the 17 delivery bicyclists who have died on the job over the past two years, several deaths have resulted in court proceedings, but none have concluded. Advocates say a lot of these bicycle accidents are also hit-and-run crashes.
Based on the report, almost every delivery bicyclist is a man of color, many of them immigrants, with the largest demographic coming from Latin America. Data from the study indicates that 82% of all people who deliver in New York say their employer has never provided safety equipment for them. Most delivery companies also don’t cover injured workers’ medical expenses because they are not considered employees, but contractors.
Rights of Bicycle Accident Victims
Whether you are riding a bicycle in New York for work, or to commute or just for recreation or exercise, you have a right to be safe. Motorists have a duty of care and responsibility to share the roadway with other vehicles, including bicycles. Bicyclists have the same rights as drivers of other vehicles.
Bicycle accidents have the potential to result in serious and disabling injuries. Some victims are so badly injured that their lives are turned upside down. In some cases, workers may not be able to work for an extended period of time because they are recovering from their injuries. Sometimes, such victims are unable to return to work or make a livelihood because of their injuries. Such loss of income can prove financially devastating for workers and their families. If you are a delivery worker in New York City who has been injured by a reckless or negligent (careless) driver, you can seek compensation for your injuries, damages and losses.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Injured victims of 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 lost future income, medical and funeral costs, pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a 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 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.
We also obtained $295,000 in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens onto a bicyclist). 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://www.westsidespirit.com/news/street-fatalities-are-up-and-delivery-people-are-the-ones-in-danger-NN1825249