Fatal Hit-and-Run in Queens

An elderly man was struck by what is suspected to be a four-door sedan on February 15, 2013. The gentleman was about to cross Rockaway Boulevard near 137^th Avenue after disembarking a local bus when he was hit. The car, witnesses report, failed to slow down before hitting the man, and one witness claims that the driver sped up after hitting the pedestrian. Fellow bus passengers tried to help the injured man, and used a local motel’s phone to call 911. The hit-and-run victim was transported to Jamaica Hospital, where he died.

A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an estimated 1,000 people die yearly from hit-and-run accidents. This accounts for nearly 18 percent of pedestrian deaths. In 2001, 4,882 of the 42,116 people killed in motor vehicle accidents were pedestrians. Another study conducted by the NHTSA showed that between 1975 and 2001, 18 percent of drivers involved in fatal hit-and-run cases had alcohol in their systems. 1/5 of children aged 5 to 9 years old that were killed in traffic accidents were pedestrians. The gentleman who was killed in Friday’s hit-and-run accident was killed at an intersection that did not contain a traffic signal. The NHTSA claims that 44 percent of hit-and-run accidents occur on roadways that do not have crosswalks.

New York City has the highest number of pedestrian deaths annually, averaging 179 fatalities each year. With pedestrians being the second largest group of people killed in vehicle-related crashes (car drivers and other occupants being the first), motorcyclists make up nearly 7.6 percent, and bicyclists average about 2 percent. In 2010, 11,084 pedestrians were injured in car accidents, and 149 pedestrians were killed. A New York personal injury attorney may be able to help if you or a loved one has been involved in a pedestrian accident. With over 50 years of experience, the attorneys at the law offices of Greenberg and Stein may help aggressively pursue a personal injury claim for your benefit. Call today if you need an experienced New York injury lawyer on your side.