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Tag Archives: pedestrian struck

Electric scooter accident kills actress in Manhattan

New York – Several days after being hit by a scooter, a famous actress was pronounced dead from her ‎accident injuries. The accident victim was crossing the street when she was ‎struck by the electric vehicle, causing her to suffer multiple critical injuries. Witnesses to the motor ‎vehicle versus pedestrian accident note that the driver of the scooter fled the scene of the scooter ‎crash. Police explain that the hit-and-run accident is still under investigation as details are gathered and ‎the search for the possibly reckless driver continues. It is unclear if this electric scooter collision ‎involved speeding or even drunk driving and these remain open questions for investigators. The ‎pedestrian struck was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was treated in the emergency ‎department and admitted due to critical injuries. Unfortunately, despite extensive efforts and surgical ‎procedures, the woman died of injuries that she has sustained in the vehicle crash. See this article for more details about this hit-and-run accident involving a ‎motor scooter.‎

Photo of electric scooter for illustrative purposes only. This is not the scooter involved in the accident. Photo Credit: LHOON [License]

Electric bicycle accident leaves one dead and another injured in Central Park

New York – An intersection in Central Park was the scene of a pedestrian struck by an electric bicycle. The cyclist apparently lost control of his e-bike and crashed into an elderly pedestrian and then both fell to the ground. The electric bicycle driver suffered a severe head injury with traumatic brain injury. He subsequently died of his bike accident injuries according to doctors. Reports show that the injured bicyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. According to New York City laws, it is actually illegal to ride an e-bike or electric scooter on city streets and sidewalks. Pedestrian and public safety activists explain that the speed and recklessness of those driving electric bikes and scooters poses a danger to public safety. They contend that this type of accident is all too common and must be prevented. The pedestrian hit in this case suffered injuries but is expected to survive. However, activists say, the next accident victim may not be so lucky. In the meantime, the rider killed in the accident demonstrates in vivid reality the dangerous situation created for everyone involved. Many cases have been documented of riders texting while driving or talking on a cell phone while driving. These distracted drivers can cause horrible accidents and injuries due to the speed and problems of bicyclists who weave in and around traffic and pedestrians.

Proper statistics are hard to determine but there seems to be an easygoing attitude when it comes to these electric bicycles and scooters. Many riders treat them as children’s toys while they are capable of very fast speeds and cause injuries and wrongful death. Many drivers can be seen not holding on with both hands or maintaining control and concentration over their driving. It is still unclear whether or not this specific driver was guilty of being a reckless driver or who had the right-of-way at the time of the crash. Further details of this pedestrian accident and debate over the legalities of these electric vehicles are discussed here.

Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: osseous [License]

Pedestrian injured in ambulance accident

New York – A police ambulance in Nassau County on Long Island struck and injured a young man in a pedestrian struck accident. The pedestrian accident occurred when the ambulance was making a turn and hit the man who had been crossing the street. Investigators indicated that the crash took place while the ambulance was travelling with lights and sirens to an emergency call. The injury victim was then rushed to the hospital with critical injuries according to doctors. This is, unfortunately, not an uncommon event where an ambulance hits a pedestrian. Another such case took place only a few days earlier with a Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ambulance striking a pedestrian teen crossing the street.

It should be noted that emergency medical technicians and paramedics are trained in the safe operation of their emergency vehicles, including ambulances and first response vehicles. They are supposed to undergo intense training to avoid such catastrophic collisions such as this. Included in the protocols is that the driver must always be aware that they must operate the emergency vehicle in such a manner as to protect others, even when responding to an emergency with lights and sirens. They should be aware that other drivers and pedestrians may not hear, see or be aware of the emergency vehicle until the last moment and must therefore be ready to stop. Despite the emergency nature of their response to an emergency call, there is little that justifies injuring or killing someone else on their way to the call. Due caution is their ultimate responsibility and a crash can sometimes be due to negligence or even reckless driving. Further investigations will be necessary to determine the cause of these specific ambulance collisions. Please read more about the most recent ambulance accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by Chris Sampson [License]

Bus crash in Queens killed three and injured over a dozen more victims

New York – Two buses collided during a horrific motor vehicle accident in Queens that left three people dead and at least 16 more victims injured. The bus accident occurred when a private charter bus was speeding through an intersection and hit a New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus that was loaded with passengers. Officials say that the private was empty from passengers and only the driver was in it at the time of the crash. The driver of that private bus was killed in the accident along with a pedestrian struck and trapped under the bus and a passenger from the MTA public bus, all of which suffered fatal injuries in the collision. In addition to these fatalities, emergency crews reported that another 16 people suffered various wounds from the bus collision, including passengers on the Q20 public bus and pedestrians nearby.

Members of the public have expressed outrage upon hearing that the driver who caused the crash had been fired from his job as a bus driver with the MTA approximately two years ago. Even more concerning was the reason for which he had been fired. Officials note that the driver had been a drunk driver in his personal car when he hit two other vehicles in Connecticut. He then fled the scene of that crash but was eventually arrested for that hit-and-run accident. Safety activists want to know why the man was allowed to retain his driver’s license, let alone a license to drive a bus. They warn that lax attitudes toward such dangerous behavior is exactly what leads to deadly crashes and pedestrian accidents such as this one. Additionally, they want to know if the private bus company did their due diligence in looking into the employee’s driving record and criminal history. Some feel that it is negligent to allow such a dangerous driver on the roads and be responsible for so many lives. Read this article for more on this bus accident.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Ken [License]

Ambulance crash kills and injures after man tries to steal the vehicle

New York – City officials from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) report that one emergency medical technician (EMT) was killed and another injured on the job when someone tried to steal their ambulance. The horrific work accident started when a driver of a car alerted the driver of the ambulance to someone who was riding on the rear bumper of the vehicle. The crew stopped the ambulance and tried to chase the joy-rider off of the truck bumper. However, the man then jumped into the driver’s seat and tried to steal the ambulance. While the crew ran after him to try to regain control over the ambulance, the EMTs were pedestrians struck and hit by the ambulance. The female EMT was run over by the ambulance and suffered fatal injuries. She was treated for a traumatic cardiac arrest and rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead by emergency room doctors. Her partner also suffered injuries during the pedestrian collision and is expected to survive. Bystanders and responding police arrested the man who had tried stealing the ambulance. He has been criminally charged for the theft, murder and causing injuries to the EMTs. However, an injury attorney in Manhattan explains that the man can also face civil lawsuits from the injured worker EMT as well as a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of the EMT who was killed. See this article for more details about this ambulance worker accident.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Edwin Martinez [License]

Two pedestrian accidents on Long Island involved young children

New York – Two unrelated motor vehicle accidents occurred within hours of each other this past Sunday. The first car accident involved a 6-year-old pedestrian struck by a car in Suffolk County, Long Island. The accident victim in that crash was crossing the street when she was hit by a car. that was driven by an elderly man. Hospital officials report that the young girl died of the injuries from the collision despite their best efforts to revive her.

Suffolk County Police report that only several hours later, a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured in a similar car crash. The boy was crossing the road with his mother when he was struck by a car being driven by a 21-year-old driver. The victim was rushed by a medivac helicopter ambulance to a trauma center. He is undergoing continued treatment for extensive wounds both externally and internally. At this point, it appears that the most serious problem is a head injury, which requires further evaluation to determine if the victim suffered a traumatic brain injury. Police in both cases are continuing their investigation into the causes of the accidents but have not yet issued any tickets or made arrests. Some of the investigations will include an evaluation of the mechanical condition of the vehicles and an assessment to see if speeding may have contributed to the crashes. Read more about these pedestrian accidents here.

Illustrative photo by Michael Rivera (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Increase in New York City train accidents, injuries and deaths

New York – A recent report by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) notes a significant increase in subway and train deaths. Citizens and commuters in the city’s busy transit system have been hit and killed on the train tracks 65 times as of the end of the summer. The number of accidents and deaths has continued to rise since then according to reports. Transportation safety groups fear that this may be an increase that won’t stop unless something is done to prevent further accidents, injuries and deaths. They demand that more be done in way of safety barriers, accident prevention training and proper maintenance. The administration responsible for the safety and health of the people using the subways as well as the workers has looked into possible methods of preventing accidents and even suicides by people getting hit by a train. Unfortunately, according to some sources, the MTA administration has refused to install more safety barriers, fences and railings due to cost. Public advocates have countered that the safety of the public must be the primary concern and the administration must worker harder to find the necessary money. They warn that this type of accident prevention is just as important as the need for continued fixing of broken or faulty equipment. Negligent maintenance is something that also needs to be addressed in order to prevent some of the accidents in the subways, on the tracks and on the train platforms. Experts explain that broken steps, cracked sidewalks or hallways as well as damaged handrails must be fixed without delay. Unfortunately, sometimes these simple hazards are not fixed quickly or properly. Some of these dangerous conditions are just left with a line of yellow construction tape around them, poorly warning bystanders about the true dangers. The fast pace of the public transit system leaves citizens dodging these safety hazards on a constant basis. This can easily lead to a trip and fall accident that leaves the victim injured and confused as to what even occurred.

This past Wednesday saw another pedestrian struck and killed by a train, this time on Long Island. This train accident is still under investigation in order to determine why the pedestrian was hit. Another accident occurred on the tracks in Brooklyn, when a blind man fell off the platform. Luckily a maintenance worker helped save the victim by pulling him back up. Find out more about that near subway accident here.

Photo by Adam J. Sporka at en.wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons