01/23/2013 // New York, NY, USA // New York Injury Accident Lawyer // Jonathan C. Reiter // (press release)
A Queens woman, age 38, was struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Hillside Avenue in Floral Park, Queens. The victim, identified as Sheena Matthew, was a nurse and mother of two children, and was declared dead at the scene. This incident occurred on the night of December 28, 2012, in a driving rainstorm. The driver of the vehicle is yet to be identified, according to police sources investigating the accident reports.
According to Manhattan pedestrian accident attorney, Jonathan C. Reiter, who has handled many motor vehicle accidents, this accident requires a police investigation to determine certain key factors, as follows: “every fatal accident requires an accident investigation pursuant to New York statutes. The site of this accident is an extremely busy roadway, with many accidents involving pedestrians having occurred there over the years. For this reason, New York City installed surveillance cameras in an attempt to record and identify the perpetrators of these accidents. The police will be reviewing the video and still footage to identify the offending vehicle and the operator who struck this victim. In addition, this review will show whether the driver of the car was negligent by either driving at excessive speed or disregarding a traffic device. The fact that the driver of the car ran from the scene of a very serious accident, is indication of some manner of guilt or negligence, and will be a factor in determining his liability for the victim’s death.”
It appears likely that the owner and the operator will be determined by the police investigation of the car. As Mr. Reiter stated, “If the car had plates, it is a simple matter to investigate the owner of the car. If he was also the operator, he will certainly be arrested for the felony crime of leaving the scene of an accident.”
Another factor in this accident is the terrible rainstorm that occurred the night of this accident. Mr. Reiter explained as follows: “The fact that the weather is very bad, as in a driving rainstorm, means that there is decreased visibility, which obliges the operator of the vehicle to operate his vehicle accordingly, that is, he must slow down and pay very close attention to see what is in the roadway to be seen. Indeed, the driver is required by law to exercise extra caution according to the conditions, which include not only weather, but lighting and roadway conditions as well.”
One thing is clear from this tragic accident, that in the age of surveillance cameras, police investigation take on a whole new dimension, where, tragically, our city will always have hit-and-run accidents, but drivers can never run for long.
Media Information:
Address: 350 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10118
Phone: (212) 736-0979
Url: New York Injury Accident Lawyer
