New York – A pedestrian was struck and killed in a snow plow accident during a snow storm clean-up. The accident victim was loading groceries into her car in a supermarket parking lot when the owner of the business was shoveling the lot with a small plow. The Brooklyn, New York store owner was backing up in a Bobcat construction tractor when he hit the woman. The mini-bulldozer truck is described as a construction vehicle that is strong enough to lift and move heavy loads while maintaining a fast speed. Unfortunately, all of that force caused serious injuries that killed the pregnant woman and left her fetus struggling to survive. Hospital officials report that they were able to deliver the baby via an emergency Caesarean section surgery. However, the baby has been left in critical condition due to lack of oxygen and the injuries from the crash.

Witnesses in the neighborhood have commented that the driver of the snow plow has operated it in a way that they described as reckless driving. This has included speeding around the parking lot, sidewalk and even the public street. Police will need to further investigate these claims and determine the cause of the accident. Some have contended that the dangerous driver is to blame for the crash that has left one woman dead and a baby seriously injured, fighting for his life. Public activists say that property and store owners have a responsibility to shovel and salt their parking lots, driveways, walkways and sidewalks in order to prevent a slip and fall accident. However, this should be done in a careful manner that doesn’t place the public in even greater risk of injury or death. Read this article for information about another woman who was struck and killed by a snow plow in New York.

Illustrative photo by Tennen-Gas (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons