Daily Archives: August 5, 2012

New York City Council discusses NYPD's car accident investigation policy

New York — For many years, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has had a policy that effectively neglects to investigate most car accidents, even when an accident victim is injured. The policy says that the police only investigate a car crash if it caused a serious injury. However, the discussion about what is considered a serious injury is a major point of contention. The NYC police department bases their definition of a serious car accident injury as when the accident causes a wrongful death or the injuries will likely lead to the victim’s death. A top personal injury attorney in New York says that this policy neglects the importance of many injuries caused by an accident that can leave the victim debilitated, disabled or even requiring emergency surgery. They point out that this is another reason why accident victims often choose to seek the help of an experienced lawyer. Advocates warn that the policy prevents injured victims from finding out if the driver who caused the motor vehicle accident was negligent. It can also halt efforts to revoke or suspend driver’s licenses from dangerous drivers that are likely to cause another injury or even kill someone in the future. Accident lawyers in the city explain that the rights of victims are being trampled on because the police department refuses to properly investigate more accidents. They note that this factor may actually leave the City of New York and the NYPD responsible for not preventing future accidents and injuries, leaving them open to a law suit. For example, this taxi cab accident in Harlem, New York left a bicyclist seriously injured but previous accidents that may have involved the cab driver were not necessarily investigated fully. Safety experts wonder if that bicycle accident could have been prevented by more fully investigating other taxi crashes or other accidents with that driver. City council members have been arguing the issue and many hope to compel the NYPD to properly investigate more accidents, especially those involving injuries. Find out more about the police department’s accident investigation policy here.