A 13-year-old girl and a 66-year-old man were killed in separate pedestrian accidents over the last week. According to a WABC news report, Niyell McCrorey was struck and killed by a vehicle at the intersection of Manhattan Avenue and Cathedral Parkway on Oct. 24. She died from her injuries after spending a week at a pediatric intensive care unit. On Nov. 3 in Harlem, a 66-year-old man who was walking along Fifth Avenue near 135th Street died after being hit by an SUV. Police said the driver left the scene and did not stop to render aid to the victim. We offer our deepest condolences to the victims’ families for their heartbreaking loss.
According to NYPD’s statistics, so far this year alone, 7,027 pedestrians in New York City have been struck by vehicles, which is a 3.2% increase compared to the 6,811 accidents this time last year. Also, this year alone, more than 80 pedestrians have died as a result of pedestrian versus vehicle accidents, based on the traffic safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in New York City
Pedestrian accidents in New York City are often due to a combination of factors including high traffic volumes, crowded sidewalks, and diverse transportation modes. One of the primary causes is driver distraction. Distracted drivers may fail to notice pedestrians crossing streets, especially at busy intersections or during signal changes.
Speeding is another common factor. In densely populated areas like New York City, even slight speeding can make it difficult for drivers to stop in time for pedestrians crossing in front of them. Additionally, failure to yield at crosswalks is a frequent issue, especially during “walk” signals, when a driver turns without noticing pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Vehicle speed significantly impacts the severity of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Higher speeds increase the likelihood of fatal outcomes as both reaction time and stopping distance are reduced. Studies show that at speeds below 20 mph, most pedestrians struck by a vehicle survive, often with less severe injuries. However, as speed increases, the probability of fatality rises steeply.
For example, a pedestrian hit at 30 mph has a much higher chance of severe injury or death, while at 40 mph, the likelihood of fatality is close to 90%. Higher speeds amplify the force of impact, making injuries far more serious. Additionally, speeding vehicles are less likely to notice or respond to pedestrians, especially in busy or low-visibility environments. Some of the most severe injuries sustained in pedestrian accidents include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord trauma, internal organ damage, bone fractures, etc.
Compensation for Hit-and-Run Victims
In a hit-and-run collision, the driver and vehicle owner are both responsible parties even if the owner was not driving when the accident occurred. If the driver was on the job and/or operating a company vehicle at the time, his or her employer can also be held liable. When the driver is apprehended in a hit-and-run case, he or she can be held financially liable for the injuries, damages and losses caused.
Such drivers can be held financially responsible whether or not they are arrested and/or charged. If a hit-and-run driver has injured you, please remember that you can seek compensation through the uninsured motorist clause of your auto insurance policy (even though the driver has not been identified) or through a quasi-state agency if there is no motor vehicle in the victim’s household.
Victims and their families in such cases should retain an experienced personal injury lawyer right away to help protect their legal rights. A family that has lost a loved one in a hit-and-run crash can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not 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.
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 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 53 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 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://abc7ny.com/post/13-year-old-66-hit-killed-vehicles-mark-rise-pedestrian-deaths-nyc/15510475/