wrongfull death nyc

Published on: January 15, 2021

NYC car accident fatalities reached a record high while traffic injuries reached a record low in November

116 bicyclists, 504 pedestrians, 1,116 motor vehicle passengers and 1,795 motor vehicle drivers were injured in traffic accidents in New York City during the month of November for a total of 4,039 people injured. Another 28 people died in similar circumstances, among them were 6 cyclists, 13 pedestrians, 1 passenger and 8 drivers. (click on graphs for full size)

While the total number of monthly deaths reached a record high for the month of November since Vision Zero was launched in 2013, the total number of monthly injuries was at its lowest since 2013 for the month of November. Since the beginning of 2020 when the Covid pandemic started, the streets of New York City are less busy than usual which might explain why the monthly number of people injured in traffic accidents for the entire year stayed below the trendline. However less traffic has lead to speeding and other reckless activities which resulted in more traffic fatalities.

Because of the pandemic, the city saw an increase of people using bicycles to commute. However riding a bike in New York City remains dangerous despite new bike lanes that are being implemented all over the city. While cyclists infrastructure are decently developed in Manhattan it is not the case in the other boroughs especially in the Bronx where Citi Bike has implemented new bike shares but protected bike lanes are still rare. As a result the number of NYC bicycle accident injuries and deaths are exploding. Last November 6 people died in bicycle accidents compared to respectively 1,0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 2 and 2 in November 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. This is the second time in the last 3 months that the monthly number of bike accident deaths reached a record high. The number of injuries also jumped to 504 last November compared to respectively 246, 285, 366, 346, 276, and 280 in November 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. The number of bicycle accident injuries more than doubled from November 2019 to November 2020. The total number of bicycle accidents was also on the rise with 537 accidents in November compared to respectively 367, 375, 400, 465, 454, 383 and 368 in November 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. While the graphs below clearly show that the total number of bicycle accidents and the resulting injuries are seasonal and reach their peaks during the summer all trendlines are on the rise and over the recent months bicycle accidents injuries and deaths have all reached record highs.

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Published on: December 15, 2020

Two essential workers killed in reckless hit and run car accident in Brooklyn, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

Two women car pooling to work were killed after their car was T-boned by a speeding driver who blew a red light in East New York. The fatal car accident took place at the intersection of Flatlands Ave and Pennsylvania Av.

Sandra Liberice and Nerlye Sainvil were car pooling together to work. Both women were healthcare workers taking care of mentally disabled children at a group home run by the nonprofit organization “Services for the Undeserved. They had a night shift. Sainvil had picked up Liberice and they were carpooling together to work. They were less than a mile away from their destination when the accident occurred. Video surveillance showed that the two women were travelling East on Flatland Ave. After the light turned green at the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave, Sainvil started to slowly drive through the intersection when all of sudden a speeding BMW T-boned them at full speed. The two occupants of the BMW were able to extricate themselves from their car and fled the scene of the accident on foot leaving the two women dying behind them. They both died at the scene of the accident.

Both women were essential workers and had been going to work during the covid-19 lockdown. They both immigrated from Haiti. Nerlye Sainvil immigrated to the US in 2001, She had a Law degree from Haiti and initially studied to work as a paralegal. She was hired as a direct care worker at the group home and decided to stay there. Sainvil was 58 year old. She was a church goer and she as suppsoed to get married to her fiancé this year but the wedding was postponed because of the covid-19 crisis. Her fiancé and her 8 siblings were in shock. She was suppsoed to go to visit he sister in Pennsylvania during the holidays.

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Published on: November 20, 2020

Construction accidents injuries and deaths slightly declined in NYC after the Covid-19 lockdown

By GGCRBHS&M

5 construction workers died and 240 were injured in New York City between June 1st and October 31st. Last year during the same period, 6 workers died and 275 were injured in NYC construction accidents.

After a slow down in March, April and May related to the Covid-19 lock down, the construction industry resumed work in the city. Out of the 5 fatalities, 3 occurred in Brooklyn and 2 in Manhattan. 3 of them were falls. Fall is the number one cause of fatalities on construction sites in New York and in the US.

On June 20, at a construction site located at 1154 39th Street, in Brooklyn, an unlicensed worker who was installing new junction boxes electrocuted himself and succumbed to his injuries.

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Published on: July 9, 2020

More pedestrians killed as New York City slowly re-opens

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a car backing up in a residential street in New York City. 64 year old Richard O’Flaherty was crossing Caffrey Avenue in Far Rockaway when he was hit by a car backing up the street. The driver initially made a turn from New Haven Avenue onto Caffrey Avenue and then proceeded to drive in reverse up Caffrey Avenue. He struck O-Flaherty who fell on the ground. He was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. The driver stayed at the scene of the accident and wasn’t charged. Read more in Street Blog

A few day before, another pedestrian was killed by a speeding hit and run driver in Midwood Brooklyn. 58 year old Mariya Ursachenko, was crossing in the crosswalk of the intersection of Ocean Ave and Avenue J when a speeding car blew a red light and collided with another car that careened into the pedestrian. The faulty driver then hit another car before coming to a stop. He then jumped out of his car and fled the scene of the accident on foot. The police caught him a little bit later. He was identified as 25 year old Mohammed Nasim. He was charged with reckless driving, failure to yield to a pedestrian, vehicular assault, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Ursachenko was rushed to the hospital but she didn’t survive. The driver of the car that was hit was also injured and transported to the hospital. His condition was stable. According to the NY Daily News, Ursachenko was a baby sitter who was mostly working to help her family in Ukraine. Her 61 year old roommate said that she was a lovely woman who didn’t have much luck. In recent years, she broke her two arms in two separate accidents and had to undergo heart surgery. Read more in the NY Daily News

Picture of the location of the first NYC fatal pedestrian accident: courtesy of Google Map