Auto Accidents

Published on: April 2, 2016

A compilation of studies show digital billboards along roadways constitute a distraction that increase the risk of traffic accidents

As billboards are getting more and more sophisticated, the risk of car accidents caused by drivers distracted by these billboards is increasing. Jerry Wachtel, a traffic safety consultant just released a compendium of 22 recent studies related to potential consequences for driver distraction from Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs (CEVMS) along the roadside. The author released a previous study in 2009 warning about the dangers of such billboards. More recent studies are showing that as billboard became more sophisticated, drivers also became more distracted increasing the risk of accidents. Below is a summary of the most relevant findings:

While experienced drivers are more cautious than young drivers in keeping their eyes away from distractions that are inside the car (i.e. phone dialing or map searching) they are not as cautious when it comes to external distractions such as electronic billboards. Both younger and older drivers have a tendency to often glance for more than 2 seconds at external distractions such as electronic billboards instead of focusing on the road in front of them. When a driver takes his or her eyes off the road for two seconds or more the risk of an accident is high.
Drivers pay less attention to relevant road signs but focus more on electronic billboards when both types of signs are on the same road

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Published on: March 29, 2016

A driver was injured after he crashed into a house and in a separate accident another one died after crashing into a storefront

By GGCRBHS&M

A man was injured in a car accident in NYC this morning after he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a private house. 23 year old Shirley Lucas and her 2 year old daughter were inside their house located on Bruckner Boulevard near Thierot Avenue in Soundview, Bronx when the accident happened. The car first crashed through a metallic gate located at the entrance of the property and then hit the brick wall of the house. According to the NY Daily News The mother and the daughter weren’t injured but had to stay out of the house while Con Edison and the DOB were analyzing the damages.

Another man crashed in a Bronx building on Saturday night. He died in the accident. According to witnesses the 37 year old man was speeding east on Allerton Ave in the Bronx when he lost control of his vehicle. He first hit two parked cars and then a light pole before crashing into a dry cleaner store located at the corner of Barnes Ave. The driver was transported to the hospital but he didn’t survive. Read more in the NY Daily News

Below is a Google Map Street view of the location of the Saturday night accident.

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Published on: March 23, 2016

Despite Zero Vision efforts the number of traffic injuries and deaths in February in NYC are going up again

By GGCRBHS&M

3,665 people were injured and 18 people died in traffic accidents in New York City last month. This is the highest number of crash injuries and the second highest number of crash deaths recorded in the month of February over the last 4 years. Compared to February of last year the monthly number of people injured in a motor vehicle accident in NYC increased by 23% and the monthly number of people killed by 20%. Even though there are usually less traffic accidents in February than in any other months in New York City the increase of deaths an injuries recorded during the last month is of concern.

Published on: March 21, 2016

A hit and run taxi driver who killed a pedestrian in New York said he thought he hit a pothole

By GGCRBHS&M

A taxi driver fatally ran over a woman who was lying on a New York City street and didn’t stop. At his arraignment he said he thought he hit a pothole, not a human being.

Saturday morning around 3:30 am, 68 year old John Bangura was driving his yellow cab on First Ave near 17th Street in Stuyvesant Town, Manhattan. For some unexplained reason, 44 year old Kenya Flores was laying on the ground when the taxi ran over her and dragged her briefly on First Ave. Before laying in the path of the taxi, Flores had laid down in a bus path.

According to the NY Daily News, witnesses saw the taxi trying to drive around a car who had stopped in front of him when he hit the woman. He dragged her down the street and sped away. Flores was taken to the hospital where she later died.

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Published on: March 21, 2016

New York police officer let go hit and run driver who injured a pedestrian after he flashes a badge

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian suffered serious injury after being hit by a car in New York City but according to a witness, the driver was let go by the police after he flashed a badge.

On January 11th, 63 year old Cindy Klump who managed the drawing Center at Pratt Institute, was trying to cross Myrtle Ave at Ryerson Street in Brooklyn, NYC. As she was crossing, she tripped and fell on the ground. She was getting back when up she was hit in the back by a a light colored minivan. John Cisneros, a Pratt student who witnessed the accident saw the van driver parking his vehicle 50 feet away and run to rescue the woman. Another woman who also witnessed the accident ran to the rescue. She had medical training and tended to Klump while Cisneros called 911.

The ambulance and the police showed up shortly after. One of the police officers, Officer Orlando Vargas, started to interview the woman who helped Klump. She pointed at the driver who was still around and pointed at his car and told the officer: “that’s the guy who hit her and that’s his car”. The driver denied it and said it was a car before him who struck the woman and ran away. Cisneros said he saw the driver flashing a badge to Officer Vargas. He then kept the badge on a chain around his neck and was let go by Officer Vargas.

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Published on: March 19, 2016

2 people injured in NYC car crash

By GGCRBHS&M

A 34 year old mother and her 2 year old daughter suffered personal injury in a car accident in the Bronx, NYC. The accident was caused by a driver who was chased by the NYPD. The chase started after police officers saw a car speeding on on Nereid Ave in Woodlawn Heights. The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle near the Mount Vernon border and crashed into several parked cars on West 4th Street. The mother and her daughter were sitting in one of the cars when the crash happened. She and her daughter were injured and transported to the hospital. According to the NY Daily News, the mother suffered severe head trauma.

Published on: March 15, 2016

Young woman suffers critical personal injury in NYC car accident while helping drunk driver

By GGCRBHS&M

A young woman was seriously injured in a car accident in New York City early morning Saturday. As she went to help a drunk driving girlfriend in a disabled car, she ended plunging 30 feet off an highway overpass after being caught in a chain reaction accident. The accident happened as follows.

Around 5:00 am Saturday morning, 22 year old Samantha Maloney who was drunk driving, crashed her car into a concrete median on a Whitestone Expressway overpass near Grand Central Parkway in Flushing, Queens. The car was left disabled on the right shoulder. Instead of calling 911, Samantha called her girlfriend Victoria Garratt, also 22 years old, to the rescue. Victoria showed up a few minutes later at the scene of the accident. At the same time Christopher Pierce, an off-duty FDNY EMT who was driving by, stopped his car and offered assistance to the two young women. According to officials, Pierce parked his car “at an angle” in front of Samantha’s disabled car. As the three of them were waiting for “official” rescuers to arrive, a 38 year old off-duty NYPD lieutenant who was driving by tried to swerve to avoid them but instead he crashed into them. The impact was so strong that it sent Victoria flying over the highway overpass. She landed 30 feet on the road below. The young woman almost died in the accident. According to the Gothamist she was so badly injured that she may end up paralyzed for the rest of her life. Pierce was also injured in the car accident. His arm was broken. Samantha was not injured but she was arrested for drunk driving. If investigators determine that she caused her girlfriend’s injuries she may be charged with reckless endangerment. The 38 year old off-duty cop was tested for alcohol and had a 0.02 blood alcohol level which is well below the legal level of 0.08. Investigators will have to determine if he was driving at an appropriate speed.

Published on: March 13, 2016

Pedestrian killed by van in the Bronx, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a van in NYC on Thursday. The accident happened at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx. The man was crossing the street where the two avenues make a V shape when he was hit by the van. The driver of the van, Danny Telpha, a Bronx plumber, sstayed at the scene of the accident. He said that he never saw the victim. Read more in the NY Daily News

A look at the Vision Zero map, shows that residents have reported speeding and aggressive driving at this intersection.

Published on: March 8, 2016

Drunk driving hit and run NYPD officers suspended after crashing into Staten Island Hair Salon

By GGCRBHS&M

An off-duty drunk NYPD detective side-swiped a car and crashed into a hair Salon. Then his two off duty colleagues, also drunk, got him into their vehicle and fled the scene of the accident leaving the other car behind. All 3 were suspended without pay for 30 days and are being internally investigated.

Officer Vincent Mollini was celebrating his promotion to lieutenant with detectives Christopher Corulla and Franck Muirhead at the Rookies Sport Bar in Staten Island a few weeks ago. They left the bar drunk. Detective Corulla got in his car and as he was trying to leave, he damaged the car of a DJ working in a nearby bar before backing up into the Hair-Do or Dye Salon. Officer Mollini and Detective Muirhead then loaded Corulla in their vehicle and attempted to flee the scene of the accident. The DJ whose car was damaged chased them and caught them at a nearby red light. The officers told the DJ they were cops and that Corulla was sick from food poisoning. The DJ agreed to meet them again the following day to settle up. The accident wasn’t reported until Saturday morning. All 3 officers have been suspended without pay and are being investigated by the Force Investigation Division.

Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: March 8, 2016

Teenager injured in a car accident in Brooklyn

By GGCRBHS&M

A 14 year old boy suffered personal injury in a NYC car crash last Saturday. 14 year old Luiz Cruz stole a car with another teenager and went for a joy ride in Coney Island. The police spotted the car speeding on Surf Ave near West 23rd Street and began to chase them. The police tried to pull them over before the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a cement median and several parked cars. The driver fled the scene of the accident leaving his friend injured on the passenger seat. The police are still looking for the driver.

Read more in the NY daily News