Daily Archives: July 3, 2011

Auxiliary New York Police Department chief kills pedestrian in van accident

New York — Police in New York City report that an auxiliary police chief struck and killed a pedestrian in a motor vehicle accident involving a police department van. Apparently, the auxiliary police officer, who is 85 years old, pushed the gas pedal of the van by mistake instead of the brake. His van lurched forward and hit another police car. His van also ran on to the sidewalk and hit a pedestrian in the Chinatown, NY area of the city. The pedestrian victim was crushed and rushed to the hospital but declared dead in the emergency room. Auxiliary police members warn that there are no qualifying driving tests administered to older drivers that are members of the department. Some say that the accident and wrongful death could have been prevented if proper testing was performed and determined if the senior citizen officer was capable of driving an emergency vehicle. An accident lawyer noted that this opens the department and the city to negligence lawsuits and a wrongful death lawsuit. Find out more about this tragic car accident here.