New York — A driver plowed his car into a sidewalk in the East Village section of Manhattan this past week. Reports indicate that at least four crash victims, including several store workers, were treated for multiple injuries from the accident. Bystanders in the area indicated that the car accident scene left injured people and debris scattered with emergency rescuers struggling to take care of the wounded. The pedestrians and one bicyclist were stabilized on the scene and taken by ambulance to city emergency rooms for treatment. Police report that the driver of the car that caused the pedestrian accident was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. They noted that the driver has a record of drunk driving or driving while impaired by drugs in the past. No obvious cause for the car crash has been reported, as the roads were clear and no other vehicles were involved. Pedestrian safety advocates in New York explain that drivers need to be much more careful in order to avoid hurting or killing innocent people walking or riding their bicycles. Another pedestrian accident occurred on Long Island, NY over the weekend. That collision left a family, including three children injured, when the driver hit them with his SUV. Police did not indicate that they believed the driver was drunk or otherwise impaired. Some people familiar with the accident think that the man was a distracted driver. Overall, safety activists are concerned that motor vehicle accidents are becoming more common and more deadly in New York City. A top accident lawyer warns that drivers need to be more attentive to their driving and avoid the commonplace distractions that are often associated with dangerous driving. This can include driving while on the cell phone, texting or sending emails while driving and even watching videos and eating while behind the wheel. To find out more about the growing list of injuries and deaths from car accidents in New York City, check out this article.

Photo by Youngking11 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons