01/25/2013 // New York, NY, USA // New York Injury Accident Lawyer // Jonathan C. Reiter // (press release)
Bronx Pedestrian Accident Attorney Report: A young mother who was crossing a Bronx street in the early morning hours of January 2, 2013, was struck and killed by a speeding car which then left the scene of the accident. The twenty-one year old victim, identified as Amanda Garcia, was struck with so much force that a piece of the front end of the car broke off and its gas tank ruptured, according to police. The victim’s distraught brother and sister were on the scene. They stated that they had been babysitting for Ms. Garcia, who lived in Pleasantville, New York. They stated that Ms. Garcia was hit near their home, outside of 2070 Westchester Avenue near Olmstead Avenue in the Parkchester section of the Bronx.
An eyewitness, Maria Caceres, aged 54, who works at a gravestone company near the accident scene stated that the young brother and sister wept as they were choosing a gravestone for their sister. Ms. Garcia leaves behind a 3-month old baby boy. A trail of fuel from the ruptured gas tank showed the path that the driver traveled following the accident, that is, southerly on the nearby Cross Bronx Expressway, according to police. The police stated that the car involved was believed to be a black Altima, between 2006-2009, but both the car and the driver remained missing several hours after the accident. Police reported that the decedent, Ms. Garcia, was the fifth pedestrian killed in New York City in as many days, an alarming and tragic statistic.
The case is being investigated by the New York Police Department to determine the identity of the driver of the Nissan Altima, as well as for the results of the accident reconstruction investigation that is required in all fatal accidents occurring in New York.
According to Manhattan and Bronx pedestrian accident attorney, Jonathan C. Reiter, who has handled many motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, there are many relevant facts, which remain to be seen pending the accident investigation’s findings. Mr. Reiter stated: “the issues which will be answered by the police accident investigation revolve around the location of Ms. Garcia when the initial impact occurred, what the speed of the vehicle was at impact, and where Ms. Garcia’s body landed following the collision. In addition, the police will be looking for the roadway’s lighting, and whether all lighting was operational at the time of the accident, as well as the extensive damage to the vehicle, once it is located.”
Mr. Reiter explained the significance of New York State’s laws regarding hit-and-run accidents, as follows: “In New York, it is a felony to run from the scene of a serious accident. The act itself can be interpreted as the wrong-doer’s admission of liability for the accident, and may be used against him in a lawsuit by the decedent’s legal representatives. Under these circumstances the driver who slammed into Ms. Garcia and then ran off with the vehicle, instead of fulfilling his legal duty of staying at the scene, may be liable for her injuries and death.”
The preliminary investigation of this accident has not revealed further details, which pedestrian accident lawyer Mr. Reiter states are crucial to the analysis of this accident and to the proximate cause of Ms. Garcia’s tragic death.
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