A horrific taxi cab accident at 49th Street and Sixth Avenue cost a 23-year-old British tourist her foot. This is a horrible tragedy. How did it happen? What can be learned from this catastrophic event?
Most importantly, always be aware of your surroundings. Even listening to your iPod while walking on a street can prevent you from hearing the squeal of tires or footsteps of someone approaching from behind you. Sometimes your split second reaction to an unexpected sound can save you from bodily harm.
If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, contact a New York personal injury attorney.
Accident Details
A 24-year-old cab driver and a bicyclist had gotten into a heated argument. In the midst of this shouting match, the cabbie slammed the accelerator instead of the brake, launching the vehicle onto the sidewalk into a crowd of pedestrians. The cab hit a young British tourist; its tires nearly instantly severed her foot from her body, causing profuse bleeding.
Fortunately, a quick-thinking witness fashioned a makeshift tourniquet out of his plumber’s belt and prevented her from bleeding out on the sidewalk. Despite the best efforts of good Samaritans and rescue workers, the woman’s foot could not be saved. The victim, who was visiting the Big Apple for the first time, remained conscious through the entire ordeal.
In a subsequent story in the NY Post, their investigation uncovered that the bicycle messenger involved in the accident has a history of 22 arrests, including menacing and turnstile jumping.
His yelling and hitting the cab who he thought had cut him off, caused the cab drivers tragic reaction.
Driver’s Blemished Record
The taxi driver, who was not authorized to drive the cab that day, has a checkered driving record himself. He was involved in a prior crash in 2010. He has collected smoking citations, parking violations, and demerits for cutting the taxi stand queue. His driving history, also includes three moving violations, speeding charges, improper use of a bus lane and charges that he ran a red light. He had nine points on his license and paid a $415 fine.
It appears that both parties contributed to this terrible accident.
Taxi Cab Accidents in Context
New York City taxi cab accidents can cause injuries of all kinds, from scrapes and bruises to more serious consequences, including brain injuries, broken bones, loss of limbs and even death.
The fact is every time you get into a cab as a passenger, you are putting your safety in the hands of a stranger. The same unfortunately is true for New York pedestrians. Most cab drivers are hardworking, law observing people. However, with over 40,000 licensed Yellow cab drivers, there are bound to be some “bad apples in the barrel.”
That said, getting to the “truth” about a cab accident is often challenging. Many factors can complicate the investigation, including: conflicting witness accounts; loss or destruction of important evidence; and the presence of other factors, inclement weather, pedestrian interference, etc.
Furthermore, even simple-seeming cab accident cases may hide subtleties. For instance, given the basic facts about this case, we might naturally blame the cab driver’s momentary act of carelessness — i.e. he hit the accelerator instead of the brake.
But perhaps the cab’s brakes were defective. Maybe the root problem was mechanical. In that case, a new universe of potentially liable parties would open up. These potential defendants could include the manufacturer or designer of the vehicle or the mechanic who installed the bad part.
For these reasons, if you or a loved one has been injured in a taxi cab accident, you need to contact an experienced NYC and Brooklyn car accident lawyer like Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum.
Getting Fair Compensation for Your New York Taxi Cab Accident Claim
Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum, is a seasoned Bronx and Brooklyn auto accident attorney, who has a track record of getting results in complex cases. Mr. Kestenbaum has won substantial results for his clients. In one case where a pedestrian was hit by a negligently driven car, he obtained an $800,000 settlement for his client. In another case, he won a $500,000 settlement for a pedestrian who had been knocked down and severely injured by a vehicle.
Whether you’re a pedestrian who was injured at a crosswalk by a careless cabbie, or a passenger or a tourist in a taxi who was injured in an accident, you need solid legal counsel. Call an experienced New York taxi cab accident attorney today at 718-237-5586. Mr. Kestenbaum is located at 26 Court Street Suite 1806, right across from the Brooklyn Supreme Court. All consultations are free and he only is paid when he collects money for your injuries.
