A pedestrian was injured after being hit by a taxicab last week. The incident occurred on Monday when the yellow cab jumped the curb on East 59th Street, hitting a man and then crashing into an empty storefront. The accident occurred Madison and Park avenues on the south side of 59th Street.
The injured man flew through the air before landing on the sidewalk after being struck. According to witnesses quoted in a news report, he suffered a leg injury but was able to walk to the ambulance with assistance from passersby. The victim and the cab driver were taken to different area hospitals – one went to Bellevue and the other to New York Presbyterian/Cornell/Weill Medical Center, where both were treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
There were no passengers in the cab at the time of the crash. The driver has apparently not been charged nor issued any summonses.
More than 250 million visitors and residents of New York City ride in taxis every year. The taxis are driven by 49,000 cab drivers. Most of these 49,000 drivers operate safely and provide excellent service. A 2006 study demonstrated this, reporting that the accident rate of New York cabs is one-third less than the accident rate of other vehicles. Despite this, taxi passengers are more likely to be seriously injured when there is an accident. Moreover, bicyclists are more likely to be injured by cabs than by other vehicles.
Because of the way cab companies are structured in the city, filing a lawsuit against a cab company after an injury suffered in a taxi accident can be challenging. Although cab companies are required to carry at least $100,000 coverage for a single person injured in an accident, that amount may not cover all the expenses and damages suffered by taxi accident victims. If you are injured in a taxi accident, a personal injury lawyer can advise you about your options.