Around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday March 1, 2014, a woman, later identified by police as Marisol Martinez, 21, was struck and killed by an MTA bus at the intersection of Meeker and Union Avenues in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. We profiled this tragedy earlier and now update you as the investigation unfolds.
Police officers at the scene reported that Ms. Martinez was walking south on Union Avenue when she was hit by a Q59 Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus attempting to make a left turn onto westbound Meeker Avenue. Ms. Martinez was reportedly on her way home from work at the time of the deadly collision. The MTA bus driver, a 50 year old woman, remained at the scene following the accident and the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad is actively investigating the accident.
First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Martinez and her loved ones.
This deadly collision highlights the dangers that pedestrians seem to be facing every day. Walking is perhaps the most frequently used mode of transportation for millions of New Yorkers. As a result, pedestrians are more likely than drivers or passengers to sustain serious injuries in a motor vehicle when crashes occur. In 2013 alone, 176 pedestrians were killed in New York City according to police statistics.
As a result of the startling number of pedestrian deaths in recent years, Mayor De Blasio has begun implementing a plan aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths to zero by issuing more traffic tickets for reckless driving, reducing speed limits, and in some cases redesigning dangerous intersections. The plan is called “Vision Zero.” Thus far, it is difficult to assess its progress but we will be watching.
The inattention and reckless driving of motorists is often a contributing factor in pedestrian accidents. When a pedestrian is lawfully walking in a crosswalk or on a sidewalk and is hit by a motor vehicle, he or she may be entitled to financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other types of damages.
The law firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy has a long-standing and successful history in making sure juries and insurance companies understand how an automobile accident can impact a person’s life. The attorneys at the firm have obtained hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of our injured clients, including $32,756,156 for an injured Vietnam veteran and $12,000,000 to a man standing on the sidewalk when a car involved in a crash with another vehicle struck him.
For more information about our pedestrian accident cases, the trial lawyers at the firm and a complete list of the more than $700,000,000 in verdicts and settlements* our attorneys have obtained, please visit our firm website at www.blockotoole.com or contact us at 212-736-5300 for a free consultation.
*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.