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Tag Archives: wrongful death lawsuit

November 16, 2017 News
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Pedestrian hit by a car, killed in Union Square in New York City crash

New York – A hit-and-run accident left the pedestrian victim dead according to hospital officials. The man was crossing the street within a marked crosswalk but was struck by a vehicle and then dragged down the street. The vehicle, identified as a Jeep, was being driven by an unknown driver in a reckless manner according to witnesses. The driver was speeding and made a quick left turn, hitting the pedestrian and then pulling him under the car. The victim was left with severe injuries and he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and paramedics. Doctors attempted to resuscitate the injured man to no avail and were forced to pronounce him dead. Investigation into the cause of the pedestrian accident show that the man had just left work when he was crossing the street to head home. The reckless driver fled the scene of the accident despite having caused obvious injuries according to evidence from the scene. Police have located the vehicle but are still looking for the hit-and-run driver. Investigators believe that the driver may live in Brooklyn. They note that he was driving a rental car. The driver will likely face a slew of charges and lawsuits, both criminal and civil. He may face a wrongful death lawsuit when located but an accident attorney explained that the owner and insurer of the Jeep Renegade may also be included in any lawsuits. For more about this fatal car accident, please see this article.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jeffrey Zeldman [License]

March 31, 2017 News
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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]

August 12, 2014 News
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Fatal accident on New York Thruway involved wrong-way driver

New York – Earlier this morning a car crash occurred on a major highway, killing the drivers of both involved vehicles. According to officials, the driver of a pickup truck was driving the wrong way on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County, when his truck hit an oncoming SUV car. The car collision caused fatal injuries and sent emergency crews racing to the scene of the wrong-way accident. Reports show that the driver of the vehicle that had been driving on the wrong side of the highway was actually a New York City police officer, although he was off-duty at the time of the early morning truck accident. Video footage of the accident scene shows that the 2 vehicles apparently were involved in a head-on collision, causing severe damage to the front seat compartments, mostly on the driver’s side. Trauma specialists note that this type of car crash can be the most serious, involving 2 heavy vehicles that were both travelling at high speeds and hitting each other head-on. They explain that the velocities of the truck and the SUV add together to create a deadly motor vehicle accident. The types and severity of accident injuries are often also much more serious when this type of accident occurs.

Investigators are continuing their evaluation of the crash to determine what caused it. Possibilities include speeding, reckless driving, drug use and drunk driving, especially when the collision includes a wrong-way accident. An accident lawyer says that the at-fault driver, or in this case, the driver’s estate and car insurance company, faces a strong possibility of a wrongful death lawsuit. It is unclear if there were any other victims of the crash or the nature of any injuries. You can see more about the wrong-way collision here.

Illustrative photo by U.S. Navy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

October 27, 2013 News
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Car crash lawsuits settled after jury awards victims $3 Million

A wrongful death lawsuit and simultaneous personal injury lawsuit ended with an Oklahoma jury awarding the victims and their families $3 Million late last week. The plaintiffs contended that the Toyota Camry accelerated unexpectedly due to a faulty accelerator that should have been recalled several years before the crash. The car accident killed the passenger of the vehicle and seriously injured the driver. Multiple lawsuits and complaints were filed against the car manufacturer with claims that the company was negligent in not fully investigating the dangerous situation and issuing a dangerous product recall immediately. The car company allegedly knew about the hazardous condition but apparently avoided recalling their cars for replacement or repair of the defective parts. Experienced personal injury lawyers believe that many other injured accident victims have yet to step forward. Some note that the car acceleration problem may have contributed to other motor vehicle accidents and this needs to be further investigated.

The recent win for the Oklahoma plaintiffs comes in stark contrast to the New York and California cases that resulted in the car company not being held liable for the car accident injuries. Toyota has reportedly decided to settle the punitive damages aspect of the case in light of the jury’s decision in favor of the plaintiffs. The corporation is likely trying to limit the damage to their image and amount of money that they will need to pay the injured woman and the family of the woman killed in the accident. Consumer product safety specialists explain that this was not just a major win for the accident victims but for all citizens who should be protected from negligence on the part of large corporations. This case will set a legal precedent for injury victims across the country. It should also serve as a warning to companies and factories about the need for proper manufacturing of products as well as prompt investigation and recall of dangerous products. More about the sudden car acceleration lawsuits and product liability case here.

Photo by W. Robert Howell from Charlotte, NC, United States (still here.) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

September 18, 2013 News
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Long Island man killed during car crash while walking his dog

New York – A pedestrian who was walking his dog on a suburban street in Nassau County, Long Island was struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident. The injured man was rushed to the closest hospital emergency room but doctors were unable to save his life. The victim’s accident injuries were so severe that he went into a traumatic cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in the hospital. According to reports from the car accident scene, the man driving the vehicle hit the pedestrian victim and his dog just after midnight. He apparently fled the scene of the accident, which is a felony when the car accident involves personal injuries. A New York accident attorney notes that the charges can be even more severe when the car crash kills the victim. In this case, police say that the driver who caused the accident initially left the scene but then returned for an unknown reason. Police arrested the driver and report that he tested negative for alcohol or drugs. These factors can improve the chances that the man can avoid more serious criminal charges, such as drunk driving. However, according to the accident lawyer, this does not protect the driver from a civil lawsuit such as a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

It will now become the job of investigators to determine what caused the deadly accident. Common causes that will need to be further investigated include the man being a distracted driver due to talking on a cell phone, texting while driving and eating while behind the wheel. Experts also explain that the driver may have become tired and fell asleep behind the wheel, possibly more likely due to the hour at which the motor vehicle accident occurred. Public safety advocates say that drivers are responsible to pull over to the side of the road for a rest period if they are tired. Driving while tired can be a form of negligence that endangers the safety of everyone else on the road. Reports show that the man had just finished work in a local hospital when and was on his way home when the car collision occurred. Police may need to speak to his co-workers and his supervisor in order to determine more about the man’s behavior prior to getting into his car to drive home. Check out more details about this deadly car accident here.

Photo by U.S. Navy photo by Tom Watanabe. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

June 30, 2013 News
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New York City bicycle accidents on the rise

New York — Earlier today a bicycle crash in Brooklyn claimed yet another accident victim’s life. Bystanders believe that a truck driver was at-fault for the dangerous collision when he was speeding and turned into the bicyclist. The flatbed tow-truck driver reportedly stopped at the accident scene for a few moments but then got back into his vehicle and fled before witnesses could stop him. The hit-and-run accident left the injured victim in critical condition and emergency services were called by local residents. The man died on the street while waiting for the ambulance to arrive according to his family. According to analysts, this crash was yet another bicycle collision the growing list that have been occurring in the busy city. Some believe that reckless drivers will cause even more accidents as the New York City bike share program puts even more cyclists in harm’s way. Some observers have warned that the program hasn’t done enough to prevent injuries, such as providing easily accessible helmets or proper warnings about the dangers of riding on city roads. A man was hit by an SUV cab driver when riding a shared bicycle only three days after the program debuted. Traffic safety experts say that one of the major problems is that drivers don’t safely share the streets with pedestrians, bicycles or even other cars. They say that drivers are often distracted by cell phones and texting or they are speeding and weaving through traffic dangerously. The alleged hit-and-run truck driver from today’s bicycle accident was found and arrested within hours of the incident. Criminal charges as well as a likely wrongful death lawsuit are pending. A video and updated article about this crash is available here.

Photo by David Jackmanson [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons