Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

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1 bicyclist, 15 pedestrians, 11 motorists and 3 passengers lost their life in crashes in New York City last May. That is a total of 30 fatalities. Since Vision Zero started in 2014, this is the first time that such a high number of traffic accident fatalities were recorded during a month of May.  Last year because of the Covid-19 lockdown, only 5 fatal crashes occurred in May and during the previous years respectively, 18, 13, 11, 18, 28, 25 and 15 people died in NYC traffic accidents in May 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.  Since the beginning of  the Covid-19 crisis, the de Blasio administration seems to have given up on all the efforts deployed during Vision Zero and the recent traffic accident fatality numbers are similar to the numbers reported during the pre-Vision Zero era.

car-crash-deaths-New-york-May-2021
4,927 people were injured in crashes in New York last May compared to 2,437 during the Covid-19 lockdown in May 2020 and 5,554 in May 2019. The number of car accident injuries last May is a little bit lower than what it was during May 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

traffic accident injuries nyc May 2020
While looking at fatalities by category of road users, pedestrians and motorists accounted for the majority of the fatalities last May. Bicyclist fatalities have been lower than usual and passenger fatalities remained somewhat stable.  It is the first time since 2013, before Vision Zero started, that road fatalities in New York City are above 25 for two months in a row.  Over the last 12 months, monthly traffic accident deaths in New York have been 5 times over 25. Even in 2013, before Vision Zero started, monthly auto accident deaths only went 4 times over 25 during the entire year.

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6 NYC pedestrians were injured after a car jumped the curb at high speed and hit them in the Bronx early Saturday morning. All pedestrians were members of the same family and had just exited Grant Park in the Bronx after a family gathering. They were standing on the sidewalk outside the park when a gray jeep travelling at a high rate of speed jumped the curb and struck them. A 16 year old boy and his mother were pinned under the jeep. The mother was critically injured while the boy suffered broken bones. The rest of the family, another 16 year old boy, a 40 year old man and two women were also injured and transported to the hospital to be treated.

After the accident occurred, the driver and the passenger got out of the vehicle and ran away. A group of people were able to catch the driver but the passenger came back to the scene escorted with friends and one of them shot a gun in the air to scare the crowd which let the driver go.

The family told CBS News that the driver intentionally hit them. The police are still investigating the accident.

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New bike lane will prevent collisions on Brooklyn Bridge The crowded overpass of the Brooklyn Bridge has led to multiple collisions and close calls between cyclists and pedestrians over the years. For a long time, the DOT has been studying options to remediate this problem.

A previous plan in 2016 was to widen the walkways on the top of the cars to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists but the DOT dropped the idea as they were not sure the cables would be able to support the extra weight.

Narrow two-way protected bike-lane

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accident sceneTwo pedestrians suffered critical injuries after being struck by a FreshDirect truck in Manhattan last Wednesday night.

A 13 year old boy and a 62 year old man were crossing the intersection of Park Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown, Manhattan when a FreshDirect truck making a left turn struck them and dragged them under its wheels. The two pedestrians were in the crosswalk when the truck hit them. The driver told the police that he did not see them until he looked in his side mirror and saw one of them lying on the ground.

A doorman who was working in a nearby building ran to the rescue and told the NY Daily News that he arrived to a very bloody scene. The teenager had his face smashed and bones were protruding from his body. Both victims were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

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accident sceneAn 8 year old pedestrian was critically injured in a back-over accident in New York City yesterday. The boy was playing on the sidewalk of Webster Avenue  near the intersection of Ittner Place when a car pulled out of an auto shop and hit him. The driver stayed at the scene of the accident. According to the police the driver and the boy knew each other but were not related. The boy was transported to the hospital in critical condition. (read more in the NY Daily News)

50 children hit every week in the US with at least two of them dying

Children are the most common victims of back-over accidents because they are smaller than adult and drivers may not see them in the rear view mirror when they are backing up. According to statistics of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every week in the US, 50 kids are being backed over by cars or by other motor vehicles such as buses or trucks. Injuries are often serious and among these 50 children, at least 2 of them die from their injuries.

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15 pedestrians, 8 motorists and 4 passengers died in car accidents in New York City during the month of April reaching a total of 27 traffic fatalities. This is the highest number of motor vehicle accident fatalities in NYC ever recorded during the month of April since Vision Zero started in 2014. The lowest number of traffic fatalities in April was recorded last year with 11 deaths as New York was observing a lockdown because of the Covid19 pandemic. Prior to the lockdown, 16 people died in crashes in New York in April 19 and respectively 12, 20, 14, 19, 21, 15 in April 18, 17, 16, 15, 14 and 13. Globally traffic fatalities in New York City remain on a declining trend. However recent numbers have more often been above the trend rather than below. (click on the graph for full size)

Car Accident fatalities NYC April 21

Peak in Pedestrian Deaths

Pedestrians accounted for more than half of the deaths with 15 fatalities while motorist deaths slightly decreased compared to a year ago but remained high with 8 fatalities. No bicycle accident fatalities were reported to the NYPD in April. Such a high number of pedestrian fatalities at a time when tourists have not even come back to the city and a high number of New Yorkers are still working from home is alarming.

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the intersection where Lisa Bane was killed10 days ago Lisa Banes was crossing the street when she was struck by a reckless scooter operator who ran a red light, hit her and just kept going. The impact was so intense that Banes was knocked out of the crosswalk. She suffered critical  head injuries and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital where she passed away yesterday afternoon.

The accident occurred at the  intersection of West 64th Street and Amsterdam Ave on Friday June 4th around 6:30 pm. The actress was on her way to a dinner with friends and had planned to stop at Julliard and at the Lincoln Center on the way. She was in the crosswalk with the light in her favor when the reckless scooter driver mowed her down.

Lisa Banes, an acclaimed Hollywood actress who starred in the movies “Cocktail” and “Gone Girl” and also appeared in multiple TV shows such as “Nashville,” “The Orville,” “Masters of Sex,” and “Royal Pains, was in Manhattan for a performance at the Manhattan Theater Club. The 66 year old woman is married to Kathryn Kranhold

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The-NYC-intersection-where-the-e-bike-fatally-struck-the-pedestrianA pedestrian died after being struck by a e-bike rider in New York City last Friday night. 54 year old Kelly William, a Queens real estate professional, was taking a walk with a friend in her neighborhood. The young woman and her friend were in the crosswalk  at the intersection of 21st Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria when a delivery man on a e-bike struck Kelly.

The pedestrian died from head injuries

She fell on the ground and suffered serious head injury.  According to her mother, her skull was fractured at several locations. She was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries the following day. Kelly’s family was devastated by the accident. Her 78 year old mother told the NY Daily News that her daughter was a very energetic and lovely person who left her corporates career to create her own brokerage company, Kelly NYC LLC.

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One pedestrian died and several other people were injured in multiple car accidents in New York City over the Memorial Day week end.

One of the victims was Leonard Mitchell, a 70 year old resident of Brooklyn, NYC. Mitchell was steps away from his home when he was struck by a dark sedan that took off. The pedestrian was crossing Atlantic Avenue mid-block between Nevin Street and Third Avenue a little before 11:00 pm on Monday night when the accident happened.

Mitchell was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

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The NYC intersection where the senior pedestrian was killedA NYC senior pedestrian died two days after she was struck by a massive SUV in a quiet residential neighborhood in Queens.

82 year old Lopamudra Desai was crossing the intersection of Corporal Kennedy Street and 43rd Avenue in Queens, NYC when she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse making a left turn. The accident occurred last Sunday afternoon around 3:30 pm. The driver remained at the scene of the accident and has not ben charged.

The intersection where the accident occurred is a one lane intersection with a stop sign for every lane. Anyone driving through the intersection is  required to fully stop and continue when the street is clear.