Rare Single-Car Accident Kills 5 in Queens
Single-vehicle accidents themselves aren’t rare. But what is rare is for a single-vehicle accident to end with multiple deaths and the vehicle looking like it crashed with at least one other moving car. But in an accident in Queens over the weekend, that’s exactly what happened.
A Mercedes Benz SUV carrying seven passengers in the early Sunday morning hours was mangled when it collided with a pillar. Three women and two children were killed. The driver, one adult passenger and another child were all rushed to the hospital.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the vehicle was leaving a gathering of Nigerian immigrants who had gathered from around the country in Queens for a banquet and meeting. They were heading home around 3 a.m.
Witnesses report that the SUV breezed through two red lights and was traveling at a high rate of speed. The driver, a 45-year old woman, collided with a pillar supporting the AirTran to JFK airport. Continue reading
Taxi Jumps Curb in Accident, Hits Pedestrian on East 79 Street NYC
Two cabs collided on Monday, sending one onto the sidewalk. It was there that the taxi struck a young woman, sending her to the hospital with head injuries.
According to DNAinfo.com, the accident occurred on the corner of Second Avenue and East 79th Street. An SUV taxi was making a left onto 79th when a Crown Vic cab, traveling down 79th collided with it.
Both cab drivers escaped without injuries.
After the immediate impact, the SUV jumped the curb, where it struck the identity. According to DNAinfo.com, her identity and condition are unknown. However, witnesses say after being hit, she was face down in a pool of blood.
“He was running the red light, so he hit the pedestrian,” said the Crown Vic driver of the SUV cabbie.
A doorman at the Continental Plaza, near the intersection, said it isn’t uncommon for vehicles to fly through that intersection, trying to catch the lights. He ran outside when he heard the impact.
In a city this crowded, it isn’t surprising when a vehicle hits a pedestrian. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a tragic event and one worth discussing. Continue reading
Trucker Missed Construction Signs in Fatal Wreck
Six people were killed last week in a tragic accident that occurred upstate on Route 11 near Fort Drum Army post. A truck driver plowed into the back of a line of cars who were waiting for a paving project on the highway.
According to the Washington Post, the police report that truck driver James A. Mills, 45, was alert at the time of the accident and just failed to notice the construction signs and the stopped vehicles. Mills reportedly tried to brake before the accident and “didn’t appear to be impaired or distracted,” according to state police.
Investigator Rick Hathaway reported that there were no text messages or calls immediately before the accident. He also said that Mills was cooperative and helped to pull a victim from their car before it caught fire.
Mills crashed into an SUV that burst into flames on impact. A family of four within the SUV died at the scene. The tractor trailer accident ultimately involved six cars as the SUV was pushed forward in the line of stopped vehicles. One additional victim died later at the hospital. Continue reading
Motorcycles with Anti-Lock Brakes are Safer, Says Study
The Highway Loss Data Group (HLDG) released the findings of a study this week that says anti-lock breaking systems (ABS) can absolutely make motorcycles safer for the people who ride them. As reported on by the NY Daily News, the study says ABS bikes are particularly useful to beginner riders.
Not all motorcyclists are enthusiastic about ABS. Some say that riding without ABS helps you manage your bike better and prepare for malfunctions or accidents under any circumstances.
“If a beginner starts to rely on them and one day they malfunction, the beginner won’t have developed the skills to compensate,” says veteran rider Eduardo Rodriguez.
Still, the study shows a significant risk reduction. Continue reading
Another Deadly NY Boat Crash
The day after Independence Day, another boat accident took the life of three men. According to the Wall Street Journal, the accident happened on Oneida Lake, near Utica. A 66 year old grandfather and two of his grown sons were killed.
The men, Anthony Aceto (66), Stephen Aceto (41), Timothy Aceto (33), and Anthony Aceto (39), were having a “guys day” on the lake, having fun and reconnecting over the holidays. The women were back at the house waiting for their return.
Stephen had made the drive from Tampa to visit family for the holiday and introduce them to his girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancé.
The men were said to know the lake “like the back of their hand” after spending many family outings there over the years. But experience didn’t prove helpful. Continue reading
Holiday Boat Ride Ends in Tragedy
Twenty-seven people were aboard a boat in Oyster Bay last week for the Fourth of July festivities. They were one of a multitude of boats on the water that night, clamoring for the shore after the fireworks were done. But this boat, unlike the others, capsized, killing three children.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, an investigation is underway into the cause of the accident. Weather, overcrowding, mechanical malfunction, or the wake of another vessel are all potential contributors.
The children were in the cabin at the time of the accident and weren’t wearing life jackets. According to some reports, there were only six life jackets on the boat, not nearly enough for the 27 occupants. Continue reading
Casino Tour Bus Accident Injures 24
Just over a year after a casino tour bus accident killed 15 on its way back to Manhattan, another similar bus was involved in an accident. This time, fortunately, no one was killed, but two dozen people were sent to area hospitals with injuries.
According to the Associated Press, the bus was returning to Chinatown in Queens from a the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut when the accident happened.
The driver reportedly veered across three lanes of traffic and slid 500 feet along a barrier before coming to a rest. It happened on Northbound Interstate 95 in the early morning hours.
The driver was most seriously injured as he was ejected from the bus. No one had “serious” injuries but all passengers were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
The bus line responsible for the bus is named Star Tag. Like the doomed bus in the tragic March 2011 accident, it mainly caters to Asian New Yorkers and runs frequent trips to casinos in surrounding states. However, unlike that other bus, Star Tag is not being shut down as a result of this accident though there’s little doubt that an investigation will be launched. Continue reading
City Comptroller Cautions Against Accidents in Bicycle Share Program
In about a month, New York City’s bike share program will be underway, putting thousands of additional bicycles on the road in an effort to encourage fitness, reduce traffic congestion, and make the city a bit of revenue. But the City Comptroller, John C. Liu is cautious about the program, worried that safety measures are being overlooked.
In a press release dated June 25, Liu says, “In the rush to place ten thousand bicycles on our streets, City Hall may have pedaled past safety measures, a move that risks significantly exacerbating the number of injuries and fatalities of both bikers and pedestrians, especially those most vulnerable like young children and seniors. Aside from the human toll, there is a real possibility that the Bike Share program will increase the number of legal claims against the City.”
To prevent these things from happening, he says, important safety measures should be taken. Among those is a mandatory helmet rule.
Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, head of the Brain Trauma Foundation, says “Helmets save lives, even when you are going slowly on your bike. Bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by 85%. Almost all bicyclists who died in accidents were not wearing helmets.”
Other safety concerns include: “frequently blocked bike lanes, poor street conditions, inexperienced bicyclists, lax enforcement of traffic regulations, and the inevitability that some users will ride on sidewalks.”
Professor John Pucher of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University says that these things could lead to “at least a doubling and possibly even a tripling in injuries and fatalities among cyclists and pedestrians during the first year of the Bike Share Program in New York.”
Others say his estimations are alarmist.
The recommendations made by Liu include:
- Make helmets mandatory
- Maintain signage, bike lanes, and safer intersections
- Increase the number of bicycle safety courses
- Incorporate bicycle awareness into drivers’ education
- Teach children bicycle safety
- Increase the number of cops on bicycles
- Target dangerous locations
- Expand “Safe Streets for Seniors” program
- And more…
There is no doubt that riding a bicycle in the city can be dangerous. When you are on a bike, you are especially vulnerable because you don’t have the protection of a vehicle, safety belt, or air bags—you are completely exposed. In addition, you are harder to see and cars often don’t respect the rights of cyclists.
Bicycle accidents happen and are frequently severe. When you are on your bike and hit by a car, the injuries can be life changing.
Contact the attorneys of Omrani & Taub today if you or a loved one has been hurt in a bicycle accident. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, your pain and suffering, and more. Call us at 212-529-7848 (that’s 212-LAW-SUIT).
Brooklyn Fire Truck, Motorcycle Crash Leaving One Dead
A Brooklyn motorcyclist was on his way home Monday when he was hit by a fire truck rushing to the scene of a brush fire. The man, Reginald Brown, was killed in the accident.
Forty-six year old Brown was ironically stopping at home before he went to a friend’s memorial service. That friend was killed in a motorcycle crash one year ago in Brooklyn. Brown was to meet up with friends from his biker club to commemorate the anniversary of the death.
The fire truck was heading to a rubbish fire on Norstrand Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant when the accident occurred. The two collided on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Marcy Avenue at around 4 p.m.
“By the time he got to the intersection, the fire truck came through and hit him,” said one witness to DNAinfo.com. “He went flying through the air and hit the glass of the beauty salon.”
Brown was pronounced dead at Woohull Hospital. Continue reading