Truck Accidents

Published on: January 20, 2014

New York Bicycle Accident: Cyclist crushed by bus in Harlem

45 year old Pedro Santiago died in a bicycle accident this week-end in Harlem, New York. The bicyclist was trying to pass an MTA bus when the driver pulled out of the bus stop and struck him. Pedro Santiago fell on the street and the bus ran over him. He died at the hospital from severe head and body injuries.

This is the first fatal bicycle accident in New York this year. There are more than 3,600 bicycle accidents in NYC every year and last year 17 people died after being involved in a bicycle accident in the city (see our previous blog). Most bicycle accidents happen when a motor vehicle fails to yield the right of way or suddenly makes a left turn into the path of a cyclist. In this case the Bus was pulling out of of a Bus stop. All too often bus drivers, who are forced to work long ours are not attentive to Bicyclists and pedestrians. We do not yet know the facts as to this accident. Since there was a fatality the accident will be intenively reconstructed by The N.Y.P.D. Collision Investigation Squad, formerly known as The Accident Investigation Squad.

Read more about this bicycle accident in the New York Post

Published on: January 13, 2014

Pedestrian Dies in Tour Bus Accident in NYC on Friday night

By GGCRBHS&M

Alexander Shear, 73, died in a bus accident in New York on Friday night. The accident happened on 96th street and Broadway on the Upper West Side of NYC.

Alexander Shear who was famous in New York for his pop culture collection was hit and dragged by a Shafer tour bus driver who was making a turn from Broadway to 96th street. The Tour Bus driver didn’t realize he had hit anyone and dragged the man to his death. Horrified witnesses had to chase him to stop him.

New York Truck Accident: Pedestrian seriously injured after being struck by a FDNY truck

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian suffered serious personal injury after being hit by a New York Fire Department Truck while crossing McDonald Ave near Church in Brooklyn New York. The truck was racing to a blaze when the accident happened. The pedestrian, a 30 year old man, was immediately given aid by the firefighters who dispatched another truck to the blaze.

Car Accident Prevention: The New York Fire Department is considering adding a safety driving device on their ambulances

By GGCRBHS&M

To prevent traffic crashes, the New York Fire Department is considering adding a safety device under the seat of the ambulance driver to analyze in real time the speed, g-force, seat belt use, lights, sirens and other factors. When the driver becomes too aggressive by driving too fast or taking turns too hard the device emits a sound to alert him.

This device is already used by the emergency medical services at Jersey City Medical Center and drivers said they really like it because it helps them to make an appropriate decision in terms of response time while keeping the safety of the crew and other people on the road in mind.

In the US, there are 10,000 ambulance accidents every year.

Published on: December 9, 2013

74 year old woman dies after being struck by a bus in Co-op City in the Bronx, New York

By GGCRBHS&M

Gloria Mabry, 74 died in a bus accident in New York on Friday night. It was raining that night and the grandmother was coming back from the supermarket. She was pushing a cart full of groceries when she was struck and killed by a MTA bus on Co-op City Boulevard and Dreiser Loop.

Readmore in News 12 The Bronx

Pedestrian fatalities are on the rise in New York city and more than 220 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic accidents this year. In a plan called “Vision Zero” Bill de Blasio committed to eliminating traffic accident deaths by 2014. We shall see.

Continue reading →

Published on: December 8, 2013

Police Commissioner Kelly eulogizes traffic agent who died on the job after being run over by a truck

By GGCRBHS&M

A New york Traffic Enforcement agent who died in a truck accident last week in Midtown Manhattan was eulogized by NYPD Commissioner Kelly at the funeral yesterday. Kalyanarat Ranasinghe, a 71 year old NYPD Traffic Agent was struck and killed by a vacuum truck as the truck driver was pulling away from a parking spot. Kelly said the traffic agent loved his job and had a calming effect on everyone he encountered.

The new seat belt rule for new motorcoaches and large buses will increase passengers safety, sadly it doesn’t apply to school buses

By GGCRBHS&M

Rollovers account for 60% of all fatal large bus accidents. When a large bus or a motorcoach rolls over, passengers have a high risk to die or to be severely injured after being ejected from their seat (see graph). Since 1968, the National Transportation Safety Board has been advocating for motorcoaches to be equipped with seat belts to reduce the number of wrongful deaths and personal injuries but the bus manufacturers have been effectively lobbying against it all these years because of the additional cost involved.

Last week this debate was partially resolved when the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new regulation requiring new motorcoaches and large buses to be equipped with lap and shoulder seat belts for each passenger and driver seat starting November 2016.

Unfortunately, the regulation doesn’t apply to school buses, existing commercial buses and the majority of public transit buses in cities.

Continue reading →

Published on: November 29, 2013

4 people died in 3 accidents after being struck by vehicles between 5pm and 5:30pm the night before Thaksgiving in New York

By GGCRBHS&M

The epidemic number of wrongful death related to pedestrians and bicyclists hit by vehicles reached a new high on Wednesday night as 4 people were killed in an half an hour time span in New York City. A man who was riding his bike in Queens died after being hit by a truck whose driver fled. A an 88-year-old woman crossing Ave. C in Manhattan was killed after being struck by a Con Ed truck and two women were killed when a car hit them as they crossed Forest Hill Road in Staten Island.

Garbage truck driver crushed by his own vehicle in a tragic accident in the Bronx, New York

By GGCRBHS&M

A sanitation worker had his legs crushed in a terrible truck accident that happened Friday in the Bronx. As he was turning left, the garbage truck driver hit a pillar. His door was open and the impact caused the driver to be ejected from the cab. He landed under the still moving vehicle. His legs were crushed. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Children injured in a school bus accident in Staten Island, New York

By GGCRBHS&M

A bus driver and several children were injured when a school bus overturned after a collision with a pick up truck. The crash happened this morning at the intersection of Oakdale St. and Preston Ave. in Eltingville, Staten Island, New York. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
Read more in the New York Daily News