With all the stepped-up effort designed to decrease traffic accidents and protect pedestrians and bicyclists, you’d think there would have been a measurable change in the number of fatalities in NYC. Unfortunately for cyclists, there was. There were more fatal bicycle accidents in New York City this past year than there have been in any single year in the past two decades.
The occurrences of fatal bicycle accidents in New York City began in January of 2019 and stayed steady right through the year. By December 31st, there had been 28 bicyclists killed in accidents-the vast majority of which were caused by automobile operators. That number is more than double what New York City saw in 2018.
These fatalities seemingly fly in the face of everything NYC has done-including adding 250 miles of protected bike lanes, redesigning traffic flow in certain trouble spots, decreasing speed limits in high-traffic areas, and increasing policing.
But supporters of this ambitious Vision Zero plan note that while the number of fatal bicycle accidents in New York increased last year, so did the number of people riding bicycles. In fact, studies have show that the number of trips taken by bicycle in New York City has almost doubled since 2017. There were an estimated 250,000 trips taken every day in 2019.
If you are injured, under New York law, a bicyclist can obtain no-fault benefits (for all health related expenses) from the insurance company for the car that struck the bicycle. In addition, the injured bicyclist can sue the at-fault vehicle’s owner and driver for pain and suffering and lost time from work.,
Regardless of the safety measures, riding a bicycle on New York City streets is still a very dangerous thing to do. If you or a loved one has been injured by a careless driver, you need professional legal help to get the compensation you deserve. Speak with an experienced New York City bicycle accident lawyer. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today.