Summer Months Were the Worst Time for Hit and Run

Like all the boroughs, Brooklyn sees its share of hit-and-run accidents. Fortunately a scarcity of hit and run accidents occurred during August, September and October. However, a rash of hit and run accidents had occurred during the early summer months of June and July 2018.

Summer Hit and Run Accidents

• June 24, 2018. A female driver backed out of a parking space outside a Brooklyn laundromat and ran over a mother and her four-year-old daughter, who was riding her scooter. The mother had kneeled down to tend to her daughter when the vehicle struck them. The hospital treated the mother for minor injuries and her daughter was pronounced dead. Police apprehended the driver a few blocks away from the accident scene. She claimed she was unaware of hitting anyone. People using the laundromat had complained about the layout of the parking lot that had cars driving onto the sidewalk where people also tried to walk. (New York Post & ABC NY)
• July 1, 2018. Police arrested a hit and run driver who had crashed his van into a 32 year old co-worker and crushed him to death against the wall of a Brooklyn warehouse. Investigators thought the driver was trying to park his van on 21st Street near Fourth Avenue in Greenwood heights. The driver fled on foot afterward and several workers tried to save the victim. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where he died. (New York Daily News)
• July 21, 2018. In Brooklyn, a minivan hit three people while the driver was driving the van in reverse. The incident was caught on video and showed the three pedestrians standing on the corner of 11th Avenue and 56th street in Borough Park on Saturday, July 21 around 6:00 p.m. After hitting three victims, who were ages 6, 55 and 64, the driver shifted gears into forward and drove away. Police located and arrested the driver. He faces charges of reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident and unsafe backing of a vehicle. All three victims were taken to a nearby hospital. (Spectrum News - NY1)
• July 28, 2018. On July 28, a hit and run driver critically injured a 57-year-old woman as she was crossing the street at a crosswalk between Avenue P and East 16th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn. A witness saw the car speeding away with damage to the car's front end. A resident told the news reporter that she had seen a number of accidents on the road during the 13 years she had lived there. She said cars were racing day and night up and down the road. (CBS Local)

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a hit and run accident, you should seek legal help. Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP has successfully represented clients in hit and run and other types of accident cases.

If you are involved in a New York car accident, it is important to understand what New York State law requires you to do.

According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, the following are some actions you must take:

When in a Car Accident, Stop and Exchange Information

You must stop and exchange information with the other drivers involved in the accident.

• For property damage only
  Exchange your driver license, insurance and registration information with the other drivers.
• For a parked vehicle or other property damage or injury of domestic animal
  Locate the owner and contact the police.
• For property damage that is $1001 or more
  All the drivers involved must file a report (MV-104) of the motor vehicle accident with the DMV within no more than 10 days after the accident. If you fail to report the accident, the DMV can suspend your driver’s license.
• If a person is injured or killed
  Notify the police immediately. All the involved drivers must file an accident report with the DMV. It is a crime to leave an accident scene where personal injury or death occurred. The accident will appear on all the drivers’ records. However, the record of the accident will not indicate who was at fault.

Seek Medical Attention

If you or anyone else is seriously injured, call 911 and seek medical attention right away. Keep records of medical treatment that you have received.

Take Pictures of the Accident Scene

If you are able to take pictures of the accident scene, do so. Many people have cameras on their mobile phones. Take pictures of the vehicle damage, skid marks or other details that could provide relevant evidence in your accident case.

Talk to Witnesses

Get the names and contact information from any witnesses who saw the accident.

File a Report with Your Insurance Company

Let your insurance company know that you were involved in the accident and how it occurred. Be honest in your description of what happened.

If You Suffered Significant Injury, Contact a Lawyer and Limit Your Discussion About the Accident

You should only discuss the accident with your lawyer, the police and your insurance company. Do not discuss the accident with other drivers’ insurance companies or other parties unless your attorney advises you to do so.

At Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP we have decades of experience and focus our practice primarily on personal injury cases.

Weather related accidents are something to be concerned about, and statistics back up this fact.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, weather related crashes are accidents that take place in harmful weather conditions (rain, sleet, snow, fog, severe crosswinds or blowing sand/snow/debris) or on slick pavement due to rain, snow, slush or ice.

What are the statistics? On the average 5,748,000 vehicle accidents occur every year in the U.S. and 22 percent of them (approximately 1,259,000) are weather related crashes. In addition, close to 6,000 people are killed and more than 445,000 people suffer injuries annually due to adverse weather.

How Do Adverse Weather Accidents Break Down?

Here are the percentages of accidents occurring:

• On wet pavement— 73%
• During rainfall — 46%
• During snow/sleet — 17%
• During fog — 3%

(Based on 10-year averages from 2005 through 2015)

However, these are national averages, and keep in mind the fact that some states do not get snowfall to any great degree, which may be the reason that snow/sleet have a lower accident percentage.

The Year 2018 Began with Cold Harsh Winter Weather in New York City Areas

A heavy snowstorm in early January dumped up to 13 inches of snow and resulted in more than 2,000 air flight cancellations. Winds in Queens reached close to 50 miles per hour, and snow fell at the rate of two inches an hour in Manhattan.

The New York governor declared a state of emergency for all of Long Island, New York City and Westchester County.

Unfortunately, quite a few Suffolk County residents ignored the weather conditions along with the warning to prevent accidents and injuries. A number of drivers got into accidents and became stranded as the snow kept falling.

NYC mass transit subways continued to operate but weather conditions resulted in track switch, signal and train car malfunctions.

Have Your Suffered Injury or Lost a Loved One in a Winter Accident?

If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one in a deadly crash, consult with an experienced accident attorney to find out about your legal rights. In many cases accident victims or families are able to recover compensation for medical and other accident related damages.

Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP focuses its practice primarily on personal injury cases.