New York City and its five boroughs attract many different kinds of vehicles, ranging from semi-trailer trucks making deliveries to city business to motorcycles to pedicabs. These vehicles create special risks for both their operators and the drivers of other vehicles. One such transportation apparatus is the e-scooter, a device that barely fits the definition of motor vehicle. These small two-wheeled vehicles are popular with young people who use them to escape the City’s notable traffic jams. Unhappily, e-scooters and their drivers are very small and not always easily visible by other drivers. A recent fatal accident in Brooklyn involving an e-scooter shows the vulnerability of these small means of transport.
The collision
A Hyundai Elantra was heading east on Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn at about 2:20 a.m. The driver made a right turn onto southbound Hoyt Street and struck a man riding an e-scooter. According to police, the 29-year-old man on the e-scooter was also heading east on Fulton Street. The collision threw the scooter driver to the street, and when police arrived on the scene, he was lying in the roadway, unconscious and unresponsive. The man was taken to Brooklyn Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Both the driver of the Hyundai and his female passenger refused medical treatment. No arrests were made, and no charges are pending.
Liability
The deceased victim’s family status is unknown, but if he died leaving survivors, such as a spouse, children, parents or siblings, they may have a claim against the driver of the Hyundai for damages for causing a wrongful death. The major question is whether the man riding on the e-scooter was negligent and whether that negligence contributed to the accident.
Anyone who has suffered an injury or lost a loved one in a similar accident may wish to consider making a claim for damages. An experienced personal injury attorney can provide an evaluation of the evidence, legal strategies to support a claim, and an estimate of the likelihood of recovering damages for medical and funeral expenses, lost income and pain and suffering.