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 Wrongful Death

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accident sceneA cyclist was fatally struck by a car  in the Bronx, NYC, last Friday night. The accident occurred around 11:22 pm  on Southern Boulevard, near the ramp of the Bronx River Parkway, in the Bronx Park. According to the police, the driver who was speeding was attempting to pass the cyclist but there was not enough space to do so and he struck the back wheel of the cyclist. The victim whose name was not released by the police, flew onto the windshield of the car, a 2019 Mercedes Benz Sedan, and then landed on the street. He died at the scene of the accident from severe body and head trauma.  The driver of the Mercedes abandoned his car on the side of the Boulevard and ran away on foot. The police are still looking for him. (read more in the Gothamist)

Less than 24 hours later, also in the Bronx, a man riding a e-scooter died after being struck by an Amazon Prime delivery van. The accident occurred in front of 1230 E. Tremont Avenue,  a little bit before 7:30 pm. Both the van and the e-scooter were travelling in the same direction when the van struck the scooter. The victim who was not identified, died at the scene of the accident. The driver of the van stayed at the scene of the accident and was not charged by the police. (Read more in the NY Post). 

In Brooklyn, a couple who was heading to work on a moped, were struck by a dump truck on Rogers Avenue near Bergen Street in Crown Heights. 36 year old Jose Garcia Cruz was taking his girlfriend, 25 year old Kristina Walker, to work when the accident occurred. The circumstances of the accidents are not exactly clear. CBS News indicates that the truck rear ended the moped while the police told the NY Daily News that the driver lost control of the moped when he tried to pass the dump truck. In NYC, the police have a habit of protecting the motorists and blaming the victims. (read more in the NY Daily News)

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car accident in NYC38,680 people died in auto accidents in the US in 2020 compared to 36,096 a year earlier according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 7.2 % increase in crashes occurred as the total number of miles travelled by motor vehicles decreased by 13.2%, an indication that roads were much more dangerous during the pandemic. The rate of fatalities by 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) raised from 1.1 VMT in 2019 to 1.37 VMT in 2021. This is the highest rate of crash fatalities recorded in the US since 2007.

The region that includes NY, NJ, CT, and PA had  the highest increase of fatal auto accidents

When looking at the increase of fatal motor vehicle accidents by regions between 2019 and 2020, region 2 that includes NY, PA NJ and CT was the worst with a 10% increase in traffic accident deaths.

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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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the intersection where Lisa Bane was killed10 days ago Lisa Banes was crossing the street when she was struck by a reckless scooter operator who ran a red light, hit her and just kept going. The impact was so intense that Banes was knocked out of the crosswalk. She suffered critical  head injuries and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital where she passed away yesterday afternoon.

The accident occurred at the  intersection of West 64th Street and Amsterdam Ave on Friday June 4th around 6:30 pm. The actress was on her way to a dinner with friends and had planned to stop at Julliard and at the Lincoln Center on the way. She was in the crosswalk with the light in her favor when the reckless scooter driver mowed her down.

Lisa Banes, an acclaimed Hollywood actress who starred in the movies “Cocktail” and “Gone Girl” and also appeared in multiple TV shows such as “Nashville,” “The Orville,” “Masters of Sex,” and “Royal Pains, was in Manhattan for a performance at the Manhattan Theater Club. The 66 year old woman is married to Kathryn Kranhold

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The building where a lady died in a fireAn electric scooter being charged is the cause of a fire that ravaged a residential building in New York City, killing one and injuring 11. The fire started in the middle of the night, around 4;40 am on Wednesday inside an apartment on the third floor of a building located in the Bronx, on Park Ave near E. 161st Street in Concorde Village. Residents heard a loud boom and then the fire spread very quickly to the upper floors of the six-story building. Residents were woken up by the smell of the smoke or by other residents screaming about the fire and asking everybody to get out.

3 unconscious people were removed from the flames by the firefighters

The tenants of the 20 apartments located in the buildings were all forced out extremely quickly and lost everything in the fire. 10 of them were injured as well as one firefighter. Some of the tenants were critically injured and a 91 year old lady died. She was among  the 3 residents that were unconscious when the firefighters pulled them out of the flames. The tow other unconscious residents were an 80 year old man and a 54 year old man. The elderly woman died from smoke inhalation and the two other men were in critical but stable condition.

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https://www.newyorkpersonalinjuryattorneysblog.com/wp-admin/post-new.php3 NYC construction workers died  and another one was critically injured in 3 separate construction accidents in New York City.

On May 19th a hard hat was killed and his colleague critically injured after an elevator in a charter school under construction fell from the top floor to the ground in the Bronx . The two workers were in the elevator transporting debris.

On May 22nd, a construction worker fell to his death at a construction site in Long Island City, Queens. 32 year old Diego Lliguicota fell down an elevator shaft from the sixth floor to the second one.

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The-NYC-intersection-where-the-e-bike-fatally-struck-the-pedestrianA pedestrian died after being struck by a e-bike rider in New York City last Friday night. 54 year old Kelly William, a Queens real estate professional, was taking a walk with a friend in her neighborhood. The young woman and her friend were in the crosswalk  at the intersection of 21st Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria when a delivery man on a e-bike struck Kelly.

The pedestrian died from head injuries

She fell on the ground and suffered serious head injury.  According to her mother, her skull was fractured at several locations. She was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries the following day. Kelly’s family was devastated by the accident. Her 78 year old mother told the NY Daily News that her daughter was a very energetic and lovely person who left her corporates career to create her own brokerage company, Kelly NYC LLC.

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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.