Red light violations continue to be a major factor in accidents that New York auto accident lawyers come across. A nine-month-old infant was seriously injured in an accident in Brooklyn, caused when an out-of-control car crashed into a minivan, and set off a chain reaction crash.
According to the New York Times, the accident on Sunset Park was triggered by a livery driver, Gregorio A. Patino who was driving on a suspended license. He crashed his car into a Toyota minivan, which then collided with a Toyota pickup. The force of the collision caused the pickup to hop onto the sidewalk and into a woman standing on the sidewalk with her infant twin sons. The mother was thrown several feet away, and sustained serious injuries. One twin has suffered head injuries, and is reported to be a critical condition. The woman is apparently from Baltimore, and had been visiting New York for a family reunion.
According to witnesses at the scene, Patino had run a red light on Fourth Avenue just before the accident. He has now been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, imprudent and reckless driving.
Investigations into this accident are going on. Red light violations are some of the most frequent factors in auto accidents in the US. These are also the most underestimated. We have campaigns to prevent distracted driving, intoxicated driving and speeding, but few crackdowns against those who show little regard for the law as they run a red light and endanger the safety of other motorists. Crashes that result from motorists running red lights are extremely serious, because other cars involved in the collision typically do not have time to avoid the speeding car.