Number Of Pedestrian Car Accidents Up In New York City
There has recently been a rash of pedestrian-car accidents in New York City. Innocent people in transit on foot have been struck by drivers who just weren’t paying attention to the road.
NY pedestrian accidents in 2014
On Thursday, May 8, a woman was fatally struck by a school bus carrying several children on the Upper East Side. Officials said the woman was crossing Second Ave. near E. 93rd St. at around 3:30pm, when the bus struck her and proceeded to run her over.
A witness noted that the bus was traveling westbound and the driver was trying to get through a yellow light. The driver was looking straight ahead to try to make the light and failed to see the pedestrian crossing the street. Construction barriers were present at the scene, which the witness noted does obscure drivers’ vision, by blocking parts of the road.
In April, a 22-year-old woman was killed just 11 blocks south and two blocks east of the school bus crash, at York Avenue and E. 81st Street, after being struck by two cab drivers. Media reports claim the woman, Kelly Gordon, was jaywalking, but her family says the police report contradicts that belief. Her father testified before the City Council at a Vision Zero hearing last month, noting that no summonses were issued to the drivers involved in his daughter’s death.
de Blasio initiates “Vision Zero”
Mayor de Blasio has pledged to reduce traffic deaths to zero. Known as Vision Zero, the initiative is designed to combat the number of traffic deaths in New York, which reached an overwhelming 176 in 2013, according to police statistics.
In his first 40 days as a major, this campaign transcended into a crackdown on erratic drivers and an unusually large number of jaywalking summonses. A total of 215 jaywalking tickets were written from January 1 through February 9, compared with 27 during this same time period in 2013.
The mayor is working with police officials from each precinct to develop a plan of action to effectively combat traffic deaths in each area of town.
New York pedestrian accident lawyers
If you’re a pedestrian who has been hit by an automobile, your first priority should be recovery, not dealing with legal matters. By hiring a personal injury lawyer, you’ll be sure to have someone on your side to defend your rights and give you proper guidance every step of the way. Your attorney will work hard to ensure that you receive proper treatment and compensation for the injuries you incurred in the automobile accident.
Insurance companies can pressure injured victims into unknowingly agreeing to settlements where they receive much less compensation than needed to pay their medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses resulting from the accident.
If you’re thinking of filing a NY pedestrian-car accident lawsuit, contact The Sanders Firm. Our lawyers have more than 45 years of experience representing innocent pedestrians in Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Long Island, and every other part of New York. It’s important to act now. Contact us today, online or at 1.800.FAIR.PLAY, to schedule your free consultation with a New York pedestrian accident lawyer. Resources
- New York Daily News, Woman Fatally Struck by School Bus on the Upper East Side, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/woman-fatally-struck-school-bus-upper-east-side-article-1.1784925
- StreetsBlog NYC, Two Pedestrians Killed in a Month in Same Upper East Side Precinct, https://www.streetsblog.org/2014/05/09/two-pedestrians-killed-in-a-month-in-same-upper-east-side-precinct/
- The New York Times, De Blasio’s Vow to End Traffic Deaths Meets Reality of New York Streets, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/nyregion/vow-to-end-traffic-deaths-vs-reality-of-city-streets.html?_r=0
