Car accidents and New York seem to go together like baseball and the Yankees. The population density of the city and its surrounding areas, combined with natural dangers that accompany any urban driving, make New York a veritable hot spot of car accidents. In fact, more than 150,000 people suffer injuries in car accidents in New York every year. Some may think car accidents are just natural parts of life, but these people forget just how devastating an accident can be.
A fatal accident occurred in Long Island at the end of March when a pickup truck collided head-on with a charter bus, killing the truck driver. Police say the pickup was speeding, and that it possibly crossed the double yellow line, leading to the collision. The charter bus ended up hitting a tree, which left two of the bus’s occupants trapped for close to an hour. When the passenger and driver were eventually freed, they were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
The road on which the incident occurred has a history of accidents. Earlier in March, a fatal car accident occurred only half a mile away from the accident mentioned above. Regardless of whether speed was a factor or how precarious the road may be, one man is dead and two others are seriously injured due to a car accident that some may jot down as just another New York driving statistic.
Of course there is so much more to the story than statistics. Loved ones have been left to mourn their loss, and injured bus passengers will likely face large medical bills in the coming months. While legal claims in a car accident cannot undo the damage done, extra money can ease the burden of the months and years that follow a serious crash.
Source: Daily News, “Pickup truck driver killed in head-on crash with charter bus in Long Island as 2 others injured,” Philip Caulfield, Thomas Tracy, April 1, 2014