Car accidents occur far too frequently and the consequences can be devastating. This is especially true for pedestrians and bicycle riders. Many streets are not set up to ensure the safety of walkers and bikers, and those outside of motor vehicles are typically most vulnerable to harm because they do not have protection from the impact of a crash. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other victims need to know what their rights are after accidents, and a New York City car accident law firm can provide help to those who have been hurt. Because pedestrians and bicyclists face such serious risks, many safety advocates believe that improvements in road conditions are necessary to make the streets safer for everyone. This is especially true in particularly dangerous areas where accidents are common. Just recently, for example, protestors took to the streets demanding safety improvements after a tragic accident in which a one-year-old and four-year old were killed.
Deadly Accident Leads to a Demand for Safer Streets
The New York Post reported on the protests that took place after the deadly accident that took the lives of two young children. According to the Post, the protestors not only aimed to honor the memory of these recent accident victims, but also a 13-year-old accident victim who had been fatally killed in January while riding is bicycle in Bed Stuy. Many of the residents who were protesting came from Park Slope, which was near where the accident involving the one-year-old and four-year-old happened. The protest was organized by Transportation Alternatives, which called the event a New York Kids March. The protest began four blocks from where the recent deadly pedestrian crash occurred. Protestors argue that the deaths of the two young children could have been prevented if New York had been better about upgrading roads in New York City to be safer for pedestrians. The executive director of Transportation Alternatives claims that the city’s slow pace of improvement of the roads is causing deaths of pedestrians and bicycle riders to occur even though the deaths could have been prevented. Another protestor, who was just 14, indicated that he had come to the protest to ask for safer streets in memory of his young friend who died at the age of nine in a 2013 accident when an SUV driver went out of control and came up on a curb. The protestors want Mayor de Blasio to take concrete action to fix the roads in New York, and also want the mayor to lobby the New York State governor to make changes to driving rules by empowering the DMV to stop reckless drivers from getting licenses and driving vehicles. Approximately 500 protestors attended the march to demand safer streets. It is unclear what legal changes, if any, will result or whether Mayor de Blasio will be able to create and implement plans to improve road safety in dangerous areas where regular pedestrian accidents occur. However, there are already laws in place to ensure that those who cause serious injuries or fatalities can be held accountable for harm. A New York City accident law firm can provide assistance in pursuing a case for compensation when a driver is to blame for a pedestrian crash.
