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
Federal Government Cracks Down on Distracted Driving
The feds are getting involved in what is perhaps one of the leading causes of car accidents: distracted driving. They’ve set up a website (Distraction.gov) with numerous tools to aid in educating drivers and preventing accidents.
According to Distraction.gov, distracted driving is defined as, “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety.” They go on to provide examples of distracted driving, perhaps the most prevalent and widely discussed of which is texting.
If you spend any amount of time on the roads, you see people texting and driving. You also probably see people putting on makeup, fumbling with their music, reaching forward to use their GPS, and eating. Any of these activities can take your eyes off the road. Any one of them could lead to disaster. Continue reading
Port Authority Reports Traffic Accidents Down
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reports accidents are down on the bridges and tunnels it operates. They credit this reduction to several things, including increased signage and preventative measures as the cause of safer crossings.
According to a press release from the authority, there has been a 36 percent decrease in auto accidents agency-wide since 2000. Also, there has been a drop of 12 percent in the first quarter of 2012 when compared with the same period last year. This continues a downward trend. From 2010 to 2011, accidents on bridges and tunnels fell by 252 or 5 percent.
The Port Authority says they have implemented new measures to prevent accidents, and that these measures are working. Those preventative efforts include: highway radio messages, installation of new signs, new traffic signals, pavement and crosswalk markings, and continued enforcement.
According to Executive Director Pat Foye, “We are committed to ensuring the safety of our customers who use our crossings, airports, and marine facilities on a daily basis. We applaud out engineers who tirelessly work to make sure we properly assess and identify highly hazardous locations so we can continue to reduce risks to our travelers.” Continue reading
Outrage Over Carriage Horse, Motorcycle and SUV Accident
An accident last week has animal right’s activists calling again for the end of the NYC carriage horse industry, an industry they say isn’t safe for the animals. This particular accident involved a motorcycle, SUV, and carriage horse. Though all of the people in the accident escaped injury-free, the horse had lacerations to the face.
Activists have reportedly been pushing to end the use of horses on city streets for years. This latest accident only adds fuel to their fire.
“This is going to happen over and over again; we know that,” said Edita Birnkrant, the New York director of Friends of Animals. “I want to challenge Mayor Bloomberg right now. How can you continue to justify this?”
It isn’t clear how this particular accident happened, though photos from DNAinfo.com show a motorcycle laying on its side in the street. An SUV was also reportedly involved. No person was injured and the horse will undergo a veterinary examination before determining the extent of his injuries.
New York’s carriage horses are a staple of the city. The sounds of their hooves moving through the park are nostalgic for many people. But are they a danger to themselves and others? Continue reading
Briarwood Queens School Bus Accident Injures Seven
Five children and two adults were injured early this week when a cab struck a school bus in the Briarwood neighborhood of Queens. According to MyFoxNY.com, the bus was carrying special needs children between the ages of 8 and 10.
All of the children were transported to Long Island Jewish Medical Center. The matron, also aboard the bus, and the cab driver were both taken to Jamaica Hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
Witnesses say that many of the children were highly distraught, as to be expected after an accident. Many parents arrived to offer comfort before the children were transported.
The matron appeared to have suffered the greatest injuries.
It isn’t clear what caused the accident or if any charges will be filed. The police are still investigating. Continue reading
NTSB Blames Driver Fatigue for Fatal Bus Crash
In an investigation that’s lasted over a year, and one we blogged about just last month, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings in a final hearing last week, pointing to driver fatigue and speed as the causes in a New York bus crash that ultimately killed 15 people.
The bus accident occurred in March 2011 as a bus carrying 32 people was heading towards Manhattan from a trip to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. It was before dawn when the bus hit a guardrail, rolled on its side and slid into a large sign post, shearing off the top of the bus and killing several people instantly.
In all, 15 were killed and 7 were seriously injured. Continue reading
Police Criticized for Handling of Pedestrian Accidents
Many New Yorkers take it for granted, believing that if they are ever hit by a car as they cross a busy street, the police will take their time to launch an investigation into the accident, testing the driver for alcohol, measuring skid marks on the street, and coming up with a full report. But, that isn’t always the case, and one man is now taking his story public to bring people’s attention to what he believes are the shortcomings of the handling of such pedestrian accidents.
Jacob Stevens, a New Yorker, watched as his wife was hit and killed by a driver early on a July morning last year. He doesn’t remember seeing the accident, and is grateful for that, but he remembers the sound. Stevens believes the police didn’t do enough at the time of the accident because his wife was not dead, according to the NY Times.
The police unit Stevens is angry with is actually a division of the New York Highway Patrol; it’s called the Accident Investigations Squad, or AIS. The AIS team is made up of 19 detectives and 4 supervisors who respond to the most serious of accidents. Their directive is to only respond when there is a fatality or if death is likely. Continue reading