Tour buses are a common site in New York City, especially in popular destinations like Central Park which most visitors enjoy exploring. Unfortunately, recent tour attendees found themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation instead of just enjoying their day at the park. The double decker tour bus that they were riding on became involved in an accident that caused injury to 13 people.
When bus accidents happen, passengers who were aboard did not have control over their own safety and were reliant on the bus driver and other motorists to avoid high-risk behaviors. Injured passengers aboard a tour bus may be able to pursue an injury claim against another driver who caused them harm, or against the bus driver or bus company when the tour bus operator was the cause of the crash. A New York personal injury law firm can help victims to understand their rights and pursue claims for compensation if they were hurt aboard a tour bus or while riding in any vehicle in which they were an innocent passenger.
Know Your Rights If You Sustained Injuries
The recent crash on the double decker tour bus happened on Fifth Avenue and East 64rd Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The incident happened at around 1:15 PM, when the tour bus ran off the road and across a sidewalk before slamming into a tree.
The bus driver indicated that he had to swerve to try to avoid a taxi that had cut him off as he was traveling in a southbound direction on Fifth Avenue. The bus went up over the curb after swerving before striking the tree.
However, a witness who was crossing the street into Central Park on his lunch break told the New York Daily News that he did not believe the bus driver had ever hit the breaks as the bus went over the curb, and that the only thing which stopped the bus was when it hit the tree. The witness said that there was no taxi in the way of the tour bus, but instead there was a city bus that had stopped for passengers.
Emergency workers responded quickly to the collision to try to provide aid to the victims. Two of the victims, a 70-year-old man and 71-year-old women who were visiting the city sustained head injuries and had to be transported to New York Presbyterian Hospital via ambulance. Additional victims who sustained injuries were taken to Lenox Hill Hospital to receive post-accident care. One witness indicated that she had helped six or seven people who had been aboard the bus onto an ambulance.
Any or all of these victims may be able to pursue a civil personal injury case to try to recover compensation for damage endured. Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff, a New York personal injury law firm, can provide representation to the victims in seeking compensation through a lawsuit or negotiated settlement. Attorneys can help any victims of tour bus accidents, so if you or someone you love is hurt, it is best to get legal help as soon as possible following the crash.
