CITY MAY BE LIABLE FOR DEADLY CAR ACCIDENT BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (July 16, 2016)
One man was killed and three other people were seriously injured when a drunk off-duty NYPD Cop drove his SUV onto the sidewalk, according to the New York Post. Authorities are saying that the crash happened early Saturday morning when the off-duty police officer was driving his gray Dodge Durango SUV. Witnesses say that the officer was speeding and swerving before the crash. The victims were walking past a Bedford Ave. townhouse in Williamsburg at the time of the collision. Authorities have been able to identify the 21-year-old man that was killed as Andrew Esquivel. Prosecutors were able to identify the three injured pedestrians as Divya Menezes, Sophia Tabachoun and James Balchaunas. The victims were hospitalized and received treatment for their injuries. Neighbors came out of the houses after they heard the accident on Bedford Avenue near North 8th Street. The scene was completely chaotic with numerous injured pedestrians. One man had his leg torn off in the collision and another male victim was impaled on a fence. Emergency medical crews rushed to the scene of the accident and were able to pronounce one man dead. Early reports suggest that the off-duty cop tried to flee the scene but he was detained by witnesses and later charged with driving under the influence (DUI). A Facebook profile believed to belong to the officer shows him with alcohol in around a half dozen photos. Typically the city can be held liable for the negligence of police officers so long as they are working within the scope of their employment at the time of the accident. The officer in this instance did appear to be off duty, though he was scheduled to show up for work in a few hours. However, a new theory of negligence working its way through the courts could hold the NYPD responsible for the deadly accident. There has been a history of incidents involving drunk NYPD officers which would seem to be indicative of a systemic problem. The New York Police Department is currently facing a 90 million dollar lawsuit over an off-duty officer who got drunk and randomly shot a man six times nearly killing him. This accident may very well be an outgrowth of the New York Police Department’s refusal to deal with the problem of alcohol abuse within its ranks. We implore the NYPD and Mayor De Blasio to take measurable steps to fix this problem before even more people end up dead.
HELPING THOSE IN NEED BY RAISING AWARENESS
If you or someone that you know has been affected by this accident, we will gladly help raise awareness of any gofundme campaign set up to support the victim or their family. We can link to it in this post which is then spread across our social media platforms. You can send your request to: gofundmerequest@gmail.com. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were heartbroken to learn about this tragic car collision in Brooklyn. It is simply incomprehensible that an officer of the law who is charged with serving the public would act so recklessly. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s and their families as they work to heal. If there is anything at all that we can do for them as they begin the long road to recovery, our phones are always on 212-344-1000.