A tragic taxi accident in Manhattan recently claimed the life of a 77-year old woman. Reports show Carol Dauplaise–well known in New York’s jewelry industry–was crossing the street when she was struck and pinned underneath a livery cab in Murray Hill on the morning of February 29th. EMTs quickly arrived and rushed her to nearby Bellevue Hospital. However, her injuries were too severe and she succumbed shortly after being admitted to the ER.
Ms. Dauplaise was crossing with the light at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 36th Street when a taxi cab failed to yield as it made a left turn. After she was struck, she fell to the ground and the car rolled on top of her. Ten eyewitnesses ran to lift the vehicle off of her. They also helped to stabilize her until the ambulance crew arrived.
The driver of the cab, 49-year old Buddhi Gurung, was arrested by NYPD officers and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and exercise due care. Regardless of the criminal charges, Mr. Gurung and the vehicle owner will also be facing a civil lawsuit for this latest fatal taxi accident in New York.
In similar cases where the driver of a vehicle has been found liable for a pedestrian’s death, the vehicle’s owner and driver have been ordered to pay monetary damages to the victim’s surviving family members. The monetary award would be compensation for any unpaid medical expenses and lost financial support to family members. In injury cases, there would be also compensation for pain and suffering. By law, the insurance company for the motor vehicle is always responsible to pay no fault benefits for medical and funeral expenses as well as lost wages, regardless of the circumstances.
If you or a loved one has been injured while crossing the street, contact an experienced New York City pedestrian accident attorney immediately. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.