Serious injuries from traffic accidents are up 9.2% this past spring compared to the same time last year. This is according to statistics from Transportation Alternatives, a traffic safety advocacy group that launched its own online serious injury tracker. The new online injury tracker shows the 4,224 serious injuries that occurred between January 2022 and June 2023, when the Department of Transportation was required by city law to begin publishing this statistic, Streetsblog.org reports. This amounts to about eight serious injuries each day.
What the Report Highlights
The worrisome trend has continued this year. In the second quarter of 2023 (April, May and June), 784 people (468 vehicle occupants, 192 pedestrians and 124 bicyclists), were severely injured in traffic accidents — up from 718 during the second quarter of 2022. This is an increase of close to 10%. There were 577 people seriously injured in the first quarter of 2023, also up 10% from the 526 serious injuries in the same quarter of 2022.
While traffic accident fatalities tend to get the most attention in the Vision Zero era, serious injuries tell the larger story of the dangers on New York’s streets where 11 people are severely injured for every person killed in a crash, the advocacy group’s statistical analysis shows. Serious injury crashes also occur at a higher rate in the lower-income parts of the city — 21% higher in the 10 poorest Council districts than for the city as a whole.
Advocates at Transportation Alternatives say that this is a “preventable public health crisis” that is the result of “decades of failed and inequitable policy decisions that prioritize cars over people, and leave behind our most vulnerable.” The group’s statistics show that the number of serious injuries in the Bronx was 23% higher per capita compared to the citywide numbers. Severe bicyclist injuries were 77% higher per capita in Manhattan compared to citywide numbers and Brooklyn had 27% more serious injuries per capita compared to citywide statistics.
New York law defines a serious injury as a traffic crash injury that results in death, dismemberment, a significant disfigurement, a fracture, loss of a fetus or permanent loss of use of a body organ. This also includes injuries where someone permanently loses the use of a body organ or where the victim loses body function.
The Role of Driver Negligence (Carelessness)
There is no question that driver negligence is one of the most common causes of car accidents in New York City and elsewhere. Impaired driving, distracted driving, failure to obey the rules of the road such as stopping for a red light or failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian, are all factors in major injury crashes in the city. Speeding has also recently become a crucial factor in fatal car accidents in New York. Car accidents have the potential to result in major injuries including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, broken bones, internal organ damage, etc.
Injured victims of negligent (careless) drivers 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 car 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 over 51 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://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/09/11/serious-traffic-crash-injuries-on-the-rise-report