The roadways of New York City can be treacherous for both those in vehicles and pedestrians. Mayor DeBlasio has spearheaded an initiative known as Vision Zero, which is focused on reducing fatal traffic fatalities in the city. A recent car accident in the northern part of Manhattan highlights how dangerous it is to be a pedestrian in the city. One pedestrian lost his life and another was injured.
The accident happened as a 34-year-old man driving a BMW was coming off the George Washington Bridge. The vehicle crashed into the pair, both of whom were apparently 46 years old. He then hit a pickup truck and sped from the scene. Oddly enough, it was also a BMW that was responsible for hitting a pedestrian in Brooklyn hours earlier. That driver also fled the scene, and the pedestrian was left with critical injuries.
The victims from the pedestrian accident in Manhattan were rushed for medical treatment to Lincoln Hospital. The man died from the injuries he suffered. The woman was expected to survive, though no details of the extent of her injuries were reported. The driver whose vehicle hit them apparently returned to the scene and surrendered. He has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving.
The criminal charges the man faces may result in severe consequences. The victim who survived this pedestrian versus car accident retains the right to pursue a personal injury claim in a New York civil court if she so chooses. As for the man who lost his life, the family left behind may elect to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Successfully litigated claims may result in the entry of monetary judgments for the financial losses that inevitably follow these types of tragedies.
Source: New York Daily News, “Drunken BMW driver slams into truck and fatally strikes 46-year-old man in Washington Heights, hours after woman is critically injured in Brooklyn hit and run“, Keldy Ortiz, Thomas Tracy, Jan. 31, 2016
