Toddler In ‘Critical Condition’ After NYC Auto Accident
An auto accident in Brooklyn hospitalized 11 people after a car careened into a bus stop. A 3-year-old child was among the injured. The latest NYC auto accident is part of an increasing trend in the city, with car fatalities rising year each year.
According to police reports, a four-door sedan swerved onto the sidewalk at Church Ave, at around 6:45 PM on March 30. The driver was attempting to avoid hitting another vehicle that had stopped in front of her. She struck a group of pedestrians before colliding with some scaffolding, causing it to collapse. A source described the scene as ‘pretty hairy’ to a New York Daily News reporter.
Nine people, including the toddler and his mother, were taken to Kings County and Brookdale Hospitals by paramedics. Two victims took themselves to another local hospital. The most recent reports said the three-year-old and his mother as being ‘in critical condition’.
Onlookers said there was no warning, and described the driver as looking ‘confused.’ Some rushed to help the toddler. A 62-year-old man, Denroy Reid, had to free his wife and son from the wreckage of the scaffolding. Both were later taken to the hospital. “I just heard the car,” said Reid. “The next thing I know it was right in the bus shed.”
The driver and her passenger were also injured. Witnesses blamed the high speed at which the sedan was traveling for the accident. Police are still investigating the crash, and have not released the names of the driver or injured parties.
NYC auto accident reports on the rise
The crash is part of a wider trend in the city and across the state. Car accidents have been on the increase for a number of years, after a brief dip during the 2000s.
The state of New York has one of the worst traffic accident records in the United States. According to a DMV report compiled in 2011, there were 307,550 reported crashes, resulting in 1,152 fatalities. This figure constituted a 10.5% increase since the previous year. A Bloomberg report from September 2012 revealed a 23% rise in traffic deaths between July 2011 and June 2012.
The most recent data from the Department of Health reports that in 2007, three quarters of a million people were involved in crashes in the state, resulting in nearly $504 million in hospital charges for the victims.
Consult a New York car accident lawyer
New York police reports say reckless driving is one of the most common causes of accidents in the state. Victims of reckless driving can, with the help of a New York Car accident lawyer, bring those liable for causing accidents to justice and secure compensation to help cover lost wages and medical bills.
If you have suffered injuries as the result of another person’s reckless or negligent driving, or lost a loved one in a traffic accident that wasn’t their fault, NY personal injury attorneys at The Sanders Firm can help you pursue legal recourse.
With more than four decades of experience in car accident litigation, The Sanders Firm has a proven track record for winning cases and recovering multi-million dollar settlements and awards for their clients. Call 1-800-FAIR-PLAY to get a free case evaluation concerning injuries sustained in a NYC auto accident.
