Just before 8:00am on Monday, January 17th, 15-year-old Antonina Zatulovska was crossing the street at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Avenue P in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, when she was struck and killed by a school bus. The teen had right of way and was walking within the crosswalk when the collision occurred. According to one eyewitness, horrified bystanders were heard screaming and yelling at the scene. She was pronounced dead soon afterwards.
Police described the incident as a hit-and-run, as the bus driver fled the scene. They later tracked him down and he has since been charged with failure to use due care and failure to stop for a pedestrian.
A child’s life was taken much too soon. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s loved ones.
Maddeningly, she was killed as a result of negligent driving, which was wholly preventable. This collision highlights the necessity for drivers, especially drivers of large vehicles such as school buses, to adhere strictly and carefully to traffic rules. Failing to do so can devastate families, as evidenced by the incident.
Transportation Alternatives released a statement on the crash, highlighting that “traffic crashes continue to kill our kids and remain the leading cause of injurious death for children across New York City.” A terrifying statistic indeed. According to the latest report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on average, 3 children die and an estimated 502 more are injured every day in motor vehicle collisions in the United States in 2019 alone – evidence that local governments, companies that hire and train drivers to operate large vehicles, and other parties involved need to do more to reduce the number of traffic collisions.
For the victims and their families that have already suffered these tragedies, you may have recourse to file a lawsuit against the negligent party or parties. In a school bus accident lawsuit, for instance, multiple parties may be held liable for the incident, and the laws navigating school bus collisions can be complex. Our attorneys offer free legal consultations to victims hurt by another party’s negligence in New York and New Jersey. If you’ve been injured in any type of accident, feel free to reach out to us by dialing 212-736-5300 or fill out our Contact Form.
Our attorneys are here to help. We’ve dedicated our careers to fighting for the rights of injury victims and have litigated numerous serious auto accident cases. Select results include:
- $7,525,000 settlement for the surviving children after a 30-year-old mother and 7-year-old son were killed in a serious auto accident at an intersection
- $5,000,000 settlement for the family of a 47-year-old mother who was walking on the sidewalk when she was struck by a garbage truck and suffered blunt force trauma. She was declared legally dead within half an hour of the crash.
- $3,000,000 recovery in a wrongful death case for survivors of a husband and father who was struck at an intersection. He suffered serious injuries and was transported to the hospital where he died 11 hours later.
- $2,925,000 settlement for a 39-year-old factory worker who suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a school bus. The accident left him unable to walk for more than twenty minutes without experiencing great pain.
- $2,250,000 settlement for a pedestrian who was hit by a school bus while crossing the street with the traffic signal in her favor. As a result of the accident, she suffered multiple injuries requiring surgery.
To request a free consultation, please call 212-736-5300.