03/21/2013 // New York, NY, USA // New York Injury Accident Lawyer // Jonathan C. Reiter // (press release)
A young couple, expecting their first child, and on their way to the hospital because the wife was in pain, was killed in a horrific hit-and-run crash in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at 12:30 am on March 3, 2013. The victims, identified as Nachman and Raizel Glauber, both 21 years old, had married in January 2012. Raizel, known to all in her close knit Orthodox Jewish neighborhood as “Raizy” was 7 months pregnant with her first child, a son. She had been experiencing pain, and was en route to meet her doctor at Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
According to a statement by relatives of the tragic couple, they were traveling in a Toyota Camry livery cab, which was broadsided in a T-Bone manner, by a speeding 2010 BMW at the intersection of Wilson Street and Kent Avenue. The impact sent the Toyota spinning into the intersection. “Raizy” was ejected from the car by the tremendous force of the impact, and was later found under a parked tractor-trailer. Her husband, Nachman was pinned in the cab and had to be cut from the wreckage. He was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the BMW, who was not the owner of the car, fled on foot and was still at large the following morning. Miraculously, “Raizy” survived long enough to be transferred via ambulance to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where her baby was born prematurely via C-section. She died shortly after. The baby who was named after his father was originally listed in serious but stable condition, later died in the early morning hours of March 4, 2013. A woman, identified as Takia Walker of the Bronx, was found to have co-signed the lease on the BMW, and was charged with insurance fraud for allegedly acquiring the car under false pretenses. According to police sources, a full accident investigation is underway to identify and locate the perpetrator.
According to NY car accident lawyer, Jonathan C. Reiter, who has handled many motor vehicle accident cases in New York and the surrounding areas, this accident involves certain factors to be considered, as follows: “In this most tragic accident, wherein these young parents were killed and a baby left an orphan, the police will use every effort to locate the perpetrator. At the same time, the police will be reviewing any and all surveillance videotapes that are common at intersections in the City of New York, to determine factors that caused this accident. These include viewing films of any traffic control devices that were operational at this intersection at the time of the accident. In addition, the films will assist the police in calculating the speed of each of these vehicles before this accident. In most intersection accidents, police have to look very carefully at possible fault on both vehicles and not just the vehicle from which the perpetrator ran. In that case, the liability would be apportioned according to each driver’s percentage of fault in causing this accident.”
According to Mr. Reiter, there are many questions to be determined at this point in the investigation, as follows: “The speed limit in most of New York City is 30 miles per hour, in recognition of high traffic volume and narrow and/or winding streets. In reviewing the surveillance tapes, the police will be able to determine fault in this accident, both by estimating the speed of both vehicles just before the accident, and by determining which vehicle failed to yield the right of way at the intersection.” Mr. Reiter further explained the effect of a hit-and-run accident as follows: “Running away from a serious accident is a felony under the laws of the State of New York. It infers an awareness of guilt on the part of the driver. It is only a matter of time wherein the police will apprehend this driver, arrest him, and conclude this investigation.” Until such time as the full investigation is complete, the answers to many questions remain a mystery.
This tragic accident took the life of a young couple who were just starting out life with their first baby, who also lost his life. Thousands in the Orthodox community came out the day after this accident, to bury and to mourn this young couple. Sadly, the same thousands will gather once again to bury and mourn the lost life of their newborn baby. The traffic laws, which require all vehicles to travel within the speed limit, and with vigilant attention to the surroundings, are in place to ensure that these tragedies do not occur. Once these rules are violated, a family and community are left to bury their dead, and to ask why, adds Mr. Reiter, the NY car accident lawyer.
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