Wrongful Death

Published on: March 1, 2015

The number of pedestrians dying after being struck by a vehicle in New York City decreased by 23% in 2014 compared to 2013 while the number of cyclists killed in bicycle accidents increased by 73% for the same period according to recent NYPD statistics

10 pedestrians died and 1220 suffered personal injury in traffic accidents last December bringing the total number of pedestrian deaths to 135 in 2014 compared to 168 in 2013 and 130 in 2014 according to car crashes data recently released by the NYPD. The total number of pedestrians injured in vehicle accidents for 2014 was 11,000 compared to 11,978 the previous year, a decline of 8%. While pedestrian deaths are back around the level of 2012, deaths as a result of a bicycle accident increased by 73% with 19 fatal bicycle accidents in 2014 compared to 11 in 2013. The number of people injured in a bicycle accident decreased by 2% with 3960 cyclists injured in 2014 compared to 4043 in 2014.

Globally New York City roads were less dangerous in 2014 than in 2013 with a total of 250 people dying in crashes in 2014 compared to 286 in 2013 – a decline of 12% – and 50,896 road users suffering personal injury in 2014 compared to 54,818 in 2013 – a decline of 7%.

Even though pedestrian deaths and injuries decreased in 2014, the number of pedestrians suffering personal injury in a vehicle accident was above 1200 in December, the highest monthly number for the last two years. Monthly pedestrian deaths never went over 15 in 2014, an improvement compared to 2013, a year during which the monthly number of deaths jumped to 25 in November and 20 in January.

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Published on: February 26, 2015

The National Transportation Safety Board just released a preliminary report on the fatal Metro-North train accident that happened 3 weeks ago

By GGCRBHS&M

A preliminary report related to the accident between a northbound Metro-North Railroad passenger train and a 2011 Mercedes Benz ML350 sports utility vehicle (SUV) that killed six people in Valhalla, NY was published a few days ago by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The accident happened on February 3rd 2015 . The report indicates that witnesses saw the SUV stopped on the railroad crossing before the gate went down. As the gate lowered it fell on the back of the car. The driver exited the car, looked at the back and went back in the car. She then proceeded to drive forward when she was struck by the train. The driver of the train operated the emergency brake 300 feet before the collision and hit the SUV at a speed of 49mph. As the train and the car continued to travel northbound, a dozen large pieces of the electrified third rail detached, piercing the SUV, tearing into the first passenger car in two locations and setting it on fire. The preliminary report doesn’t provide any information on how and why the third rail pieces were able to detach. Furthermore according to the NTSB the warning lights, alarms and gate arms were functioning however the accident has prompted new attention to the safety of such crossings around the New York City region. Read more in the New York Times

Published on: February 26, 2015

The driver who killed a woman in a New York car accident on New Year’s Day was was not only speeding but also was drunk and high on Marijuana and ketamine

By GGCRBHS&M

Investigators in a car accident that resulted in the death of 27 year old Pamela Pimentel determined that when Hernan Vega crashed into the victim’s cab he was driving at a speed of 107 mph in a street in the Bronx, NYC. Additionally a blood exam showed that the driver’s alcohol level was .14 and that he was also high on marijuana and ketamine a powerful animal tranquilizer. In a pretrial hearing, Vega was slapped with two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: February 24, 2015

A pedestrian died after being struck by a hit and run driver in Queens, NYC, on Sunday night, that’s the second hit an run in Queens in one day

By GGCRBHS&M

A woman in her 2o’s was crossing the street at the intersection of 76th Street and Woodisde in Queens, New York City, on Sunday night when she was struck and killed by the driver of a box truck. The driver of the truck hit the victim as he was turning onto Woodside Avenue but he didn’t stop. He drove away leaving the woman to die in the street. A witness at the scene followed the box truck for a few blocks, stopped the driver and managed to hold him until the police arrived. The police arrested the driver, 27 year old Valentine Gonzalez and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving without a license. Earlier in the day in Queens another woman was struck by a hit and run driver (see previous post)

An 83 year old pedestrian died after being struck by a car as he was crossing a busy avenue of Brooklyn, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

A 27 year old driver struck and killed an 83 year old pedestrian last Thursday night in Brooklyn, NYC. Isaak Trakhtenberg was trying to cross busy Pennsylvania Ave between Two Pines and Shroeders. He had already made it to the middle of the avenue and was standing on a concrete median that divides the southbound and the northbound lanes. He was hit by the car of the young driver as he stepped in the southbound lane. The driver stayed at the scene and wasn’t charged. The pedestrian was taken to the hospital where he died.

Picture source: Google

Published on: February 23, 2015

To reduce the number of deaths and personal injuries related to truck accidents a group of road safety advocates petitioned the NHTSA to create a safety regulation that requires the use of truck crash avoidance technology

By GGCRBHS&M

New technologies that can help prevent truck accidents such as forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking (F-CAM) systems should be mandatory on all new big trucks and buses according to The Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and Road Safe America. These four lobbyists have sent a joint petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ask the agency to start working on a regulation that would require manufacturers of big trucks and buses to equip all their new vehicles with forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking systems (F-CAM). When a truck or a bus is equipped with a Forward Collision Warning System, the driver is warned by a signal that he is getting too close to a “target” in front of him and if he doesn’t react, the Collision Mitigation Braking (CMB) will automatically apply the brakes to reduce the impact speed or prevent the collision. The F-Cam system integrates both these technologies. This system has been studied by the NHTSA for a decade now. More recently the NHTSA also published a complete evaluation of the installation of F-Cam system on medium to heavy commercial vehicles that shows the benefits of such a system.

According the the most recent statistics, more than 100,000 people suffer personal injury in truck accidents and close to 4000 of them are dying every year. A large portion of these crashes are rear-end crashes in which the large truck is the striking vehicle that crashed into another vehicle on the roadway. While every new manufacturer is proposing the F-Cam system on their new new trucks, only 3 % of the trucks on the road are equipped with it. Making this equipment mandatory seems to be the only way to achieve widespread implementation. Download a PDF of the Petition for Rulemaking

Published on: February 19, 2015

Potential case of medical malpractice threatens UCLA hospital as two patients died and nearly 180 patients may have been infected by contaminated endoscopes

By GGCRBHS&M

Medical negligence by doctors or medical staff who do not respect cleaning procedures or fail to discard contaminated implements are often the reason why hospital patients are getting infected by contaminated instruments. Yesterday, UCLA Medical Center announced that 179 patients may have been infected by the super-bug bacteria carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) transmitted by two infected endoscopes during diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic and bile duct problems. The hospital also said that two patients died of complications related to this issue. Outbreaks of CRE and other superbugs are a major issue among hospitals in the USA and all over the world. A recent study found that if the rampant spread of super-bugs wasn’t halted it could kill up to 10 million people a year worldwide and cost $100 trillion. Read more in the New York Daily News

Published on: February 18, 2015

A pedestrian who was struck by a car in Queens, NYC, at the begining of the month, died from his injuries

By GGCRBHS&M

On February 4th, around 11 pm, Marco Orellana was hit by a car on North Conduit Avenue near JFK airport. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The police announced yesterday that the man died from his injuries on February 11th. The police also said that they were still investigating the accident. During the accident, The 32 year old driver first struck the pedestrian and then rear-ended a parked car. He stayed at the scene and wasn’t charged. Read more in NewsDay

Published on: February 18, 2015

In case of a car accident, the Buick Encore and the Chevrolet Trax are the cars that will provide the most protection to their occupants according to recent crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

By GGCRBHS&M

When a car accident occurs, some cars are safer than others and will protect occupants from severe personal injury or death more effectively. The Buick encore and its cheaper version, the Chevrolet Trax just earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To qualify for Top Safety Pick a car must earn a “good” or “acceptable” rating for small overlap protection and a “good” rating in the institute’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint crash tests. The 2015 Encore received the highest score (“good”) in the small overlap crash test compared to the 2014 model which was rated “poor” in the same test a year before. The small overlap test replicates a collision during which the front corner of a car hits another car or an object such as a light pole or a tree. Read more in the IIHS press release

Published on: January 28, 2015

A driver who fatally struck a pedestrian who was crossing the road in the crosswalk was charged with failing to exercise due care and driving without a license

By GGCRBHS&M

The NYPD announced they have charged a 60 year old driver who killed a 27 year old pedestrian in Brooklyn at the end of December. Raul Leone-Vasquez was hit in the crosswalk by Simcha Rosemblatt as he was crossing Bay Pkwy at Bath Ave in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, NYC. He was rushed to the hospital where he died two days later of his injuries.

Read more in the NY Daily News