Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

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road work signRoad construction accidents have been increasing during the pandemic. According to a recent article in Construction Dive, 60% of contractors reported an increase in crashes in their work zone last year.

During the lockdown as construction work was deemed essential in many States, Department of Transportation officials thought that significantly less cars on the road would provide a good opportunity for them to execute some road work without blocking and disturbing too much traffic.  However, with less traffic on the road, speeding and other reckless driving behavior increased and contractors reported  more crashes in highway work zones all over the country during the lockdown.  In a PEW study that was released last year, many States recorded an increased in work zone crashes despite a decline in traffic in the US by 40% in April and 26% in May.

444 reckless drivers ticketed during Operation Hard Hat in NY State

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accident sceneAn 8 year old pedestrian was critically injured in a back-over accident in New York City yesterday. The boy was playing on the sidewalk of Webster Avenue  near the intersection of Ittner Place when a car pulled out of an auto shop and hit him. The driver stayed at the scene of the accident. According to the police the driver and the boy knew each other but were not related. The boy was transported to the hospital in critical condition. (read more in the NY Daily News)

50 children hit every week in the US with at least two of them dying

Children are the most common victims of back-over accidents because they are smaller than adult and drivers may not see them in the rear view mirror when they are backing up. According to statistics of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every week in the US, 50 kids are being backed over by cars or by other motor vehicles such as buses or trucks. Injuries are often serious and among these 50 children, at least 2 of them die from their injuries.

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Crash Mapp of ELiot Ave and Fresh Pound IntersectionA reckless drunk driver struck a car, killing the driver and injuring the passenger yesterday in Queens NYC. 22 year old Erik Chimborazo was drunk behind the wheel when he hit 47 year old Mohammed Hossain, a Lyft driver who was driving  the final passenger of his shift before returning home to his wife and three children in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Chimborazo who is unlicensed was speeding behind the wheel of a vehicle that had no insurance and  no inspection certificate. A neighbor told the NY Daily News that the impact was so intense that Chimborazo must have been driving at a speed of 80 or 90 mph when he T-Boned the Lyft car.  Further investigation found that the driver ran a red light and had twice the limit of alcohol in his system two hours after the accident.

The accident occurred at the intersection of  Fresh Pond Road and Eliot Ave around 3:50 am on Sunday.  The driver had texted his wife 30 minutes earlier that he was coming home. Both cars occupants were transported to the hospital. Mohammed Hossain was declared dead while his passenger was treated for minor injuries. The drunk driver was also transported to the hospital for evaluation before he was arraigned. He was charged with driving a vehicle that lacked insurance and an inspection certificate, driving without a license, DUI and vehicular manslaughter.

Houssain, a very quite man who loved his family immigrated from Bangladesh 12 year ago.  He was the only provider for his wife Kulsuma Jahan and their 3 children, 14 year old Samin, 7 year old Lybia and 2 year old Labeen. His family and friends were devastated by his death.

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15 pedestrians, 8 motorists and 4 passengers died in car accidents in New York City during the month of April reaching a total of 27 traffic fatalities. This is the highest number of motor vehicle accident fatalities in NYC ever recorded during the month of April since Vision Zero started in 2014. The lowest number of traffic fatalities in April was recorded last year with 11 deaths as New York was observing a lockdown because of the Covid19 pandemic. Prior to the lockdown, 16 people died in crashes in New York in April 19 and respectively 12, 20, 14, 19, 21, 15 in April 18, 17, 16, 15, 14 and 13. Globally traffic fatalities in New York City remain on a declining trend. However recent numbers have more often been above the trend rather than below. (click on the graph for full size)

Car Accident fatalities NYC April 21

Peak in Pedestrian Deaths

Pedestrians accounted for more than half of the deaths with 15 fatalities while motorist deaths slightly decreased compared to a year ago but remained high with 8 fatalities. No bicycle accident fatalities were reported to the NYPD in April. Such a high number of pedestrian fatalities at a time when tourists have not even come back to the city and a high number of New Yorkers are still working from home is alarming.

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One pedestrian died and several other people were injured in multiple car accidents in New York City over the Memorial Day week end.

One of the victims was Leonard Mitchell, a 70 year old resident of Brooklyn, NYC. Mitchell was steps away from his home when he was struck by a dark sedan that took off. The pedestrian was crossing Atlantic Avenue mid-block between Nevin Street and Third Avenue a little before 11:00 pm on Monday night when the accident happened.

Mitchell was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

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The NYC intersection where the senior pedestrian was killedA NYC senior pedestrian died two days after she was struck by a massive SUV in a quiet residential neighborhood in Queens.

82 year old Lopamudra Desai was crossing the intersection of Corporal Kennedy Street and 43rd Avenue in Queens, NYC when she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse making a left turn. The accident occurred last Sunday afternoon around 3:30 pm. The driver remained at the scene of the accident and has not ben charged.

The intersection where the accident occurred is a one lane intersection with a stop sign for every lane. Anyone driving through the intersection is  required to fully stop and continue when the street is clear.

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location of the fatal hit and run accidentMathew Jensen, a beloved Greenpoint teacher, was crossing McGuiness Boulevard when he was struck by a Rolls Royce whose driver took off, letting the man die in the street.

The car accident occurred 10 days ago and the police still have not made an arrest despite de Blasio saying that they would find the driver.

Yesterday a vigil and a march were organized to pay tribute to the teacher and to call for making McGuiness Boulevard safer. The mourners were mostly parents and students as well as some family members, street activists and local politicians.

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accident sceneTwo teenagers recently died in two separate DWI car crashes in Rockland County NY (see previous blog). In an effort to prevent more drunk driving accidents among students, officials organized a simulation of what a deadly DWI or DUI car crash looks like in reality.

Community emotionally hurt by two previous teen drunk driving deaths

The demonstration took place in the town of Clarkson where 16 year old Vlad Mosyuk died at the beginning of the month after getting in a car with his friend, 18 year old Alan Mendoza and another 17 year old girl. Alan was drunk behind the wheel and got involved in a three-car crash. Vlad died, the girl was seriously injured and the young drunk driver was charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. The accident took place less than two weeks after another teen, Jacqueline Zangrilli died in a similar DWI accident in the nearby town of Montebello.

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accident sceneIn less than 8 hours, 2 people were injured and 2 people died in car crashes in New York City.

A pedestrian was killed and another one was seriously injured in a car accident early Monday morning

The two men in their 40ies were crossing the street mid-block near Rockaway Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard  in Ozone Park, Queens, around 12:30 am on Monday when they got struck by a car. They were both transported to the hospital. One of them died and the other one is clinging to life. The victim who passed away was identified as Marcelo Pelaez. The 30 year old driver of the car and his pregnant wife who was sitting in the passenger seat were not injured. They stayed at the scene of the accident. The driver was not charged. (Read more in the NY Daily News)

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The road where the deadly NY crash occurred3 High School Students were injured and one died in a car accident in Rockland County, NY. All teenagers were students from Clarkstown North High School. 18 year old Allan Mendoza was driving a Mitsubishi Lancer with 3 other students from his high school on board last Thursday night around 11:00 pm when they got involved in a 3 vehicle crashes.

The accident occurred near 256 Congers Road in New City.  Among those who suffered the most serious injuries were a 16 year old boy and a 17 year old girl. The 16 year old boy died from his injuries on Friday. He was identified as Vladzslav Hvalyk.

The 18 year old driver was drunk behind the wheel and was charged with reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second degree manslaughter aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault. He was arraigned and sent to Rockland County Jail pending a future Court date.