A Brooklyn Heights woman is dead after a sports utility vehicle struck her and four other pedestrians who were on a sidewalk in Brooklyn, police say. The fatal crash took place in Fort Greene around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 6.
According to the report, the accident happened on Fulton Street when a 39-year-old man traveling southeast in a tan Chevy Suburban veered onto the sidewalk as he attempted to avoid colliding with a bus. As a result, he drove up on the sidewalk and struck five pedestrians.
When they responded to the scene, medical personnel transported the injured victims for medical treatment. Four of the pedestrians were treated for minor injuries. However, one of the pedestrians, a 30-year-old woman who was walking with her boyfriend at the time of the crash, died from her injuries. The decedent’s boyfriend was released from Brooklyn Hospital Center a short time after he was treated, as reported.
According to the report, law enforcement officials who arrived at the scene took the SUV driver into custody following questioning. He faces charges for unlicensed operation of motor vehicle; additional charges may be pending.
Due to the severity of their injuries, people hurt in motor vehicle accidents not only suffer physically but financially because of increased medical bills and their inability to work. If a negligent driver caused the accident because he or she was speeding, texting or intoxicated, for example, a personal injury attorney may be able to analyze the official police investigation report and witness accounts in an effort to show the driver is liable for damages. A court that decides to rule in the plaintiff’s favor will commonly award the plaintiff restitution for medical expenses and income losses directly associated with the accident.
Source: New York Daily News, “Woman Killed, Four Injured When SUV Plows into Pedestrians on Brooklyn Street”, Ross Keith and Joseph Stepansky, Dec. 6, 2015