Pedestrians, being smaller and hence harder to see than vehicles, are particularly vulnerable on New York City Streets. Injuries from such accidents can be very serious, and can include broken bones and even death.
Common causes of pedestrian knockdown accidents can include
- Speeding,
- Running traffic signals,
- Failing to yield the right of way,
- Inattentiveness, because of (for example) tending to a child or looking for a lost object, and/or
- So-called “distracted driving” (due to, for example, cell phone use).
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for drivers to hit pedestrians who are in the crosswalk or who are standing on the curb, even when they do have the right of way.
The law (namely, New York Vehicle & Traffic Law section 1146) provides in relevant part that “every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any bicyclist [or] pedestrian … upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary.” VTL 1151 provides, in part, that “[w]hen traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk on the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling…”.
If you’ve been hurt after being struck by a car while walking in New York City, contact us today for a free consultation.
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