An auto-pedestrian crash on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Friday, July 19, left one victim with reportedly life-threatening injuries and the other seriously harmed. According to police and media sources, two pedestrians — a 50-something man and a 65-year-old female — were attempting to cross West End Avenue at 98th Street in the designated crosswalk area when they were struck by a driver in a gray Acura just after 3:30 p.m.
The driver remained at the scene of the collision. Although the crash investigation is ongoing, there was no mention of any tickets, charges or citations that might be given to the driver of the Acura.
As all New York City residents realize, maneuvering as a pedestrian through the crowded city streets at peak driving times can be quite challenging. But it shouldn’t have to be deadly (or nearly so), especially when the pedestrians are correctly crossing in the marked crosswalks.
Still, the problem persists, as in a recent year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 6,000 pedestrians died in accidents in this country. To put that into a different perspective, it breaks down to an average of one pedestrian fatality every 90 minutes.
Those figures don’t even count the nearly 129,000 pedestrians who were injured in auto-pedestrian collisions seriously enough to require emergency treatment in a hospital setting. In fact, the CDC reports that pedestrians have 1.5 times the risk of death than occupants of passenger vehicles on each trip.
As it turns out, those with the highest risk are older adults, as 20% of pedestrian fatalities affected those over 64 in a recent year. Children pedestrians age 15 years old and younger also have an enhanced risk of being injured or killed in an auto-pedestrian accident.
If you were injured in an auto-pedestrian accident here in New York City, you may decide to file a claim for damages against the negligent driver to cover your medical bills and recoup some of your other financial losses.
