As we’ve written about in recent months, NYC mayor Bill de Blasio wants additional funding for the Vision Zero program. He says the $317 million he has requested will be used to fund traffic-related changes aimed at reducing fatal collision throughout the city.
While we cannot predict whether the funding and his proposed traffic changes will result in fewer accidents and deaths, we can confidently say that something has to happen to curb the wreckage on our streets.
A report just last week stated that injuries and deaths of bicyclists in car accidents is on the rise. Cyclists have fared particularly poorly in statistics, suffering 15 deaths in 2015 and 16 deaths in 2016.
On Monday March 6, a woman was run over by an MTA bus while navigating a crosswalk in Manhattan’s East Village. The victim suffered injuries including a broken hip, broken ribs, broken pelvis, and internal bleeding after being trapped underneath the bus.
Tuesday March 7 was another tragic day, with multiple traffic incidents resulting in three dead pedestrians and one left hospitalized in critical condition.
Whether due to poor layout of traffic patterns or drivers simply failing to follow traffic laws, far too many people are being injured and killed on our city streets.
At Block O’Toole & Murphy, our attorneys look forward to a day when the premises of Vision Zero – zero traffic fatalities – is a reality. Until then, you can rely on us to pursue maximum compensation for the victims of negligence.