Late last year, a young cyclist was killed in a fatal bicycle accident in Brooklyn. The 22-year-old man was riding his bicycle northbound along Autumn Avenue near Fulton Street on November 7th. He was struck by a car headed westbound on Fulton. The victim was thrown from his bike and suffered severe head injuries. EMTs arrived quickly and rushed him to nearby Jamaica Medical Center. Doctors were able to stabilize him but after a week after, the young man succumbed to his injuries.
The driver of the car did stay at the scene of the crash and was allegedly cooperating with NYPD officers at the scene. The department’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad is currently handling the investigation.
The police investigation is important, not only for the police but also for the family of this unfortunate bicyclist. The police will look to see if the driver violated the rules of the road, exercised poor judgement or disregarded the pedestrians and cyclists. Unless there is eyewitness testimony or hard evidence such as tire marks or video footage to make their determination, the investigators may have only the driver’s version of the accident to go on, especially in cases where the cyclist is injured to the point which he or she cannot accurately recall the accident.
Along with the driver’s freedom, the family’s personal injury and death claims hang in the balance. The bicyclist’s surviving family members can file a lawsuit in court to recover compensation for the pain and suffering from the time of the accident until the bicyclist died, funeral expenses, unpaid medical expenses and most importantly, the amount of money the bicyclist would have contributed to his household over the period of his/her work life expectancy. But winning a case like this might prove to be extraordinarily difficult without the right kind of assistance.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a similar crash, contact an experienced bicycle accident attorney in New York City right now. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 for your free consultation.