pedestrian accident nyc

Published on: August 20, 2015

Personal Injuries related to traffic accidents in New York City slightly decreased during the second trimester of 2015 compared to the same period of 2014 and 2013 but deaths are on the rise

Motor vehicle accidents continue to rise in New York City. A comparison of data on a trimester basis shows that the number of vehicle accidents during the second trimester of 2015 was the highest of any trimester over the last 3 years.

However, even though the total number of vehicle accidents is increasing, the number of personal injuries has been slowly decreasing over the last 3 years during the first and the second trimester of each year. The number of deaths related to traffic accidents followed the same trend for the first trimester of this year and was at the lowest of the last 3 years but the situation changed for the April to June trimester during which 67 people died in traffic accidents compared to 59 for the same period of 2014 and 52 for 2013. For the last 3 years the number of traffic accident deaths has been slowly increasing every year during the second trimester of the year.

31 pedestrians died in traffic accidents in New York during the second trimester of 2015 compared to 29 during the same period of 2014 and 28 during the same period of 2013. During the month of May only, 17 pedestrians were killed by motorists. This is the highest monthly number of pedestrian deaths since December 2013 and since the launch of Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero program.

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Published on: August 3, 2015

The hit and run driver who recently killed a famous jeweler in Queens has been identified and is facing murder charges

By GGCRBHS&M

In a previous blog we described how a driver in an act of road rage ran over a pedestrian in Queens and killed him. The driver has been identified as 46 year old Charles Jordan of Valley Stream, NY, a MTA train operator. Jordan is facing murder and leaving the scene of an accident charges after the July 19th road rage incident that led to the death of jeweler to the stars Aron Aranbayev (picture here with Khloe Kardashian). The police also indicated that Jordan may have been involved in another road rage incident involving a gun. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: July 24, 2015

New York pedestrian dies in hospital after being viciously struck by an angry hit and run driver in a brutal act of “road rage”

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian died in the hospital after being struck by a hit and run driver with whom he just had an argument in Queens, NYC. 40 year old Aron Aranbayev, a well known jeweler, was getting dropped off on 71st Ave near 110th street in Forest Hills Sunday night around 11:00 pm when the driver who was stopped just behind him apparently got angry because he had to wait for him to clear the street and got out of his car to yell at Aranbayev. The driver got back in the car, backed up and then in an act of rage intentionally ran down the pedestrian and fled the scene. Aranbanyev suffered serious head trauma and died one day later in the hospital. Read more in The New York Daily News.

The intersection where the pedestrian was struck by the hit and run driver, source: Google map

Published on: July 10, 2015

Two pedestrians suffered severe personal injury in an accident involving a truck and a car in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Two pedestrians were seriously injured in an accident between a car and a truck in Queens, NYC, on Tuesday. Two women, ages 47 and 50, were walking on a sidewalk near the intersection of Northern Blvd and 162nd St. in Murray Hill when a SUV was struck by a Long Island Jewish Hospital truck while turning from Northern Blvd onto 162nd St. The SUV jumped the curb and hit the two women. One of them was pinned under the car and her head smashed on the ground. The two women were taken to the hospital. They were seriously injured but in stable condition. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: July 3, 2015

A 21 year old pedestrian was fatally hit by a hit and run driver in Queens, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

The police are still looking for a hit and run driver who struck a pedestrian last Saturday around 12:30 in Queens. 21 year old Betty Jean DiBlasio was crossing Ditmars Blvd near 19th Street in Astoria when she was hit by a Chevrolet Impala. The driver sped away leaving the young woman lying on the pavement with a severe head injury. She died later at the hospital. Read more in the NY Daily News.

According to the Vision Zero Queens Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, 16% of Queens pedestrians fatalities happen between 12:00 and 6:00 am though less than 4% of pedestrian activity takes place during these hours. 75% of Queens pedestrian fatalities are caused by dangerous drivers choices such as speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians, red light running, distracted driving, and driving under the influence.

Published on: June 19, 2015

Following the death of 8 year old Noshat Nahian whose family is represented by our personal injury law firm, The New York State Senate passed the Gianaris bill, new legislation that stiffens penalties for motorists who injure and kill people while driving without a valid license

By GGCRBHS&M

A bill that makes it a felony for drivers to kill or injure others while driving without a license was passed yesterday by the New York State Senate. The bill was introduced by state Senator Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) following the death of Noshat Nahian, an 8 year old pedestrian who was on his way to school when he was fatally struck by a tractor-trailer driven by an unlicensed driver. Our partner, personal injury lawyer Anthony Gair (picture) who is in charge of the case commented: “This is a very important bill and long over due. In this tragic case, all charges against the driver were dismissed except for driving without a licence for which he paid an $85 fine. This is outrageous in a case in which Noshat was in the crosswalk with the right of way and easily visible at the time the tractor trailer turned left striking him. Hopefully the law will also discourage commercial carriers from hiring unlicensed truck drivers.” Read more in the Times Ledger

Published on: June 8, 2015

A young pedestrian suffered minor injury in a car accident at the intersection of Prospect Park West and Third St in Brooklyn, NYC, where another boy was killed in 2013

By GGCRBHS&M

Lowering the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph on Prospect Park West may have saved the life of 5 year old Roark Bennett who was hit by a car at the exact same spot where 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein was fatally struck by a car two years earlier. After the death of her son, Amy Cohen became a Vision Zero activist and successfully campaigned to lower the speed limit on Prospect Park West from 30 mph to 25 mph. Yesterday when Roark Bennett escaped from his parents and ran out in the street against the light, the driver who hit him was travelling at the speed limit and thankfully Roark suffered only minor injuries. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: June 5, 2015

Random survey shows nearly 1 in 10 motorists ignore red lights in New York City which puts pedestrians at risk of dangerous accidents resulting in personal injury or death

By GGCRBHS&M

Every day in New York City pedestrians and other road users are endangered by reckless drivers who are running red lights. A study just released by Hunter College indicates that nearly one out of 10 motorists don’t follow the most basic rule of the road. Lead by Professor Peter Tuckel of Hunter’s sociology department, the study analyzes the behavior of 3,259 motorists at 50 different intersections in New York City. The intersections are all within a few blocks from subway stations.

A total of 283 drivers were caught ignoring red lights. Half of them didn’t even reduce their speed. 85 of them ran the red light as they were turning.

The intersection of Gates and Evergreens Avenues in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC, was the most dangerous of all intersections analyzed during the study followed by W50th and Seventh Ave in Manhattan and New Lots and Miller Avenues in Brooklyn.

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Published on: June 1, 2015

A hit and run Bronx driver critically injured Robert Ray, the subway motorman who drunkenly nodded off and crashed a No. 4 train in Union Square in 1991, killing five passengers

By GGCRBHS&M

61 year old Robert Ray who served 10 years in prison after admitting he was drunk when he crashed a train in Union Square in 1991 was hit by a car and suffered critical personal injury as he was crossing The Grand Concourse from east to west at E.182 St in the Bronx last Thursday night. The driver sped off and disappeared in the night. Police who don’t have a description of the car haven’t made an arrest. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: March 13, 2015

As part as the Vision Zero Initiative to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries, the mayor’s preliminary budget is allocating $250 million over 4 years to redesign 4 of the most dangerous streets in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Four NYC streets that have a very high pedestrian fatality rate may be completely redesigned and reconstructed in a safer way over the next four years. According to mayor de Blasio’s preliminary budget, 100 million will be allocated to make Queens Boulevard safer and the other 150 million will be allocated to Fourth Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn as well as the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. These four streets have been identified as some of the most deadly streets in New York City and even though some safety upgrades such as lower speed limits and speed cameras have already been implemented, the city is planning to completely redesign them. According to officials, theses safety improvements should lead to a reduction of 30 to 40% of deaths and injuries on these streets. Read more in Transportation Nation
Picture: Mayor de Blasio and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg