In large metropolitan areas, bikes are a common site. In fact, bike lanes serve to ensure bikes, vehicles, drivers and pedestrians are all safe from harm and injury. However, when a bike is ridden in the roadway or in the wrong lane, an accident can occur. Recently in New York, a woman was struck and became the victim of a fatal accident in the street.
The 58-year-old woman was in the city shopping and crossing the street on a Thursday afternoon. A cyclist came along and hit the woman. She fell and her head struck the roadway. She was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment of the injury and was placed on a ventilator.
The woman later died of the injury she suffered. Police have not charged the bike rider with any kind of crime in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. However, police have begun to crack down on any of the bike riders in the park who are found to be violating the traffic laws. Particular concern has been voiced for racing bicyclists.
When pedestrians follow the laws, they are generally safe, but cases such as this fatal accident serve to remind people that an accident can happen at any time. If a pedestrian in New York is following traffic laws and becomes the victim of an accident, that pedestrian (or their surviving family in the event of a fatal accident) may have legal rights. A pedestrian, or the family in when a death occurred, may be able to seek compensation in a civil court. This compensation must be based upon proof of negligence by another party and, if established, can help victims or their families deal with the financial aftermath of being involved in an accident of any kind.
Source: The New York Times, “Woman Hit by a Bicyclist in Central Park Dies“, Marc Santora, Sept. 22, 2014
