New York Injury Lawyer Blawg

A Yeshiva World News article reports that the New York State Senate has passed a bill to help protect pedestrians from truck accidents in Manhattan and throughout the state.

Our New York personal injury lawyers know that equipping trucks with special mirrors will help reduce Manhattan pedestrian accidents caused by trucks.

Requiring trucks to install a special convex mirror will help improve the trucker's ability to see pedestrians. After a large number of pedestrian accidents involving trucks, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the request to Sen. Martin Golden to solve the problem.

"Trucks equipped with crossover mirrors eliminate the truck driver's blind spot and allow drivers to see pedestrians crossing in front of them," Golden said. "I am proud to have introduced this important legislation that the state Senate has approved. I urge my colleagues in the state Assembly to now approve this bill, so that Gov. Cuomo can sign it into law, and we can reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries in New York. This is about saving lives and keeping New Yorkers safe on our streets."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2009 Traffic Safety Facts, 66 percent of pedestrians killed by trucks were initially hit by the front of the truck. Between 1999 and 2008, there were 161 fatal accidents and 2,732 accidents with injuries involving trucks and pedestrians in New York City.

"Crowded city streets pose many navigation challenges for vehicles and pedestrians alike," Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said. "Requiring the use of special mirrors known to increase visibility in the front of trucks is a simple step that will reduce the potential for death or injury and improve the safety of New York neighborhoods."

Earlier this month, the Yeshiva World News reported on a 4-year-old boy who was hit by a truck while riding his tricycle. The trucker admitted to not being able to see the small child in front of his truck.

All combinations of trucks, tractors, tractor-trailers or semi-trailers registered in New York State that have a conventional cab configuration and a weight of 26,000 pounds or more must now be equipped with special crossover mirrors when in service in New York City. Trucks equipped with crossover mirrors enable the driver to see anyone who is 3 feet tall and one foot in front of the truck. The bill has gone to the Assembly.

Continue reading "Senate passes bill to protect New York pedestrians from truck accidents " »

Consumer Reports reported that there will a Truck and Bus Safety Forum hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on May 10th and 11th in Washington, D.C.

This forum comes as no surprise to our New York City accident lawyers after the tragic death of 15 people on a tour bus last month that crashed in the Bronx. Stronger regulations need to be in place to reduce the risk of future bus accidents in New York and throughout the country.

There have been some wicked motor coach crashes in New Jersey, Arizona, New Hampshire and New York during the last several months. The most horrific accident occurred early last month, as reported by the New York Times, when onto its side. In the moments before the crash witnesses reported that the bus had drifted over the rumble strip on the side of the road.

In an update to this accident, the New York Times also reported that the chairwoman of the NTSB said that the reason for the crash has yet to be determined. However, it does appear the bus was traveling in excess of the 55 mph speed limit. It is estimated to have traveled as high as 78 mph during the crash.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has cited the bus company previously for driver fatigue. The trip to the Mohegan Sun casino originated in Manhattan around 7:30 p.m. and had departed the casino at 3:45 a.m. The crash took place around 5:30 a.m. on interstate 95, in Westchester County.

A week after the crash, a sting operation was set up at one bus stop in Manhattan by law enforcement and New York state transportation investigators. Incredibly 14 out of 14 buses that were stopped were forbidden to return to the road. Investigators found 40 minor and 10 major infractions including drivers with incomplete log books. This information is vital in determining how many hours the driver has been behind the wheel.

Following this accident, NY lawmakers and others are urging the NTSB to review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's regulations for the low-cost tour bus industry."

Continue reading "Recent New York Bus Accidents, Focus of Forum" »

The tragic death of a Long Island police officer should remind us all not to drive when we are fatigued. Our New York personal injury lawyers are all too familiar with the dangers and consequences of drowsy driving.

CBS New York reported that bail has been set for the truck driver accused of falling asleep behind the wheel of his flatbed truck before causing a Long Island car accident.

A 44 year old police officer, and father of 3, was sitting in his patrol car at the side of the Long Island Expressway, behind the vehicle he had stopped at approximately 10:45 p.m. A flat bed truck slammed into the patrol car from behind. The impact of the crash was so horrific it pushed the patrol car under the vehicle the officer had pulled over, and the flat bed truck ended up on top of the patrol car.

The 25 year old driver of the flat bed truck was charged with criminally negligent homicide.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates
100,000 crashes a year are the result of driver fatigue. Monetary losses each year from drowsy driving crashes is estimated at over $12 billion. Traditionally, there have been at least 71,000 injuries and at least 1,550 deaths each year from drowsy drivers.

Most people don't fully appreciate the dangers. Our reaction time gets slower and our vision and judgment become impaired. We aren't as alert as we should be and our attention to detail declines. Problem solving is more difficult and being tired causes increased irritability. Episodes of micro-sleep are also possible, which is when you fall asleep for 2 to 4 seconds. Most alarmingly, a driver can slip off to sleep at any time.

According to the Sleep Foundation drowsy driving crashes have the following characteristics:

-Drowsy driving crashes occur mostly between midnight and 6:00 a.m., and in the mid-afternoon.

-The drowsy driver is likely male and the sole occupant in the vehicle.

-Drowsy driving crashes usually involve a single vehicle on a high speed roadway, running off the road to the right or to the left and hitting a stationary object.

-Drowsy driving crashes usually have fatalities and/or serious injuries.

Continue reading "Drowsy Driving Common Cause of Car Accidents in New York City Area" »