Teen killed in New York car accident; drunk driver suspected

A 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle was tragically killed on the night of July 17, according to local source. New York police arrested the driver involved in the car accident under suspicion of drunk driving. He now faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, though no court date has yet been announced in the case. 

The accident report says the 17-year-old was traveling near Marine Park when a southbound vehicle struck him around 8:45 p.m. The force of the impact was enough to tear the boy’s bicycle completely in half. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by arriving medical personnel. 

Police arrived on the scene and arrested the 24-year-old male driver after determining he may have been drunk at the time of the accident. Apparently three other people were also injured in the crash and taken to local hospitals, though the report did not clarify whether the driver was among the injured. Regardless, he will stand trial for charges of vehicular manslaughter and likely also drunk driving when the police investigation is complete. 

The tragedy of a drunk driving car accident cannot be overstated, largely due to the preventable nature of such accidents. New York law ascribes harsh penalties to such crimes, and it seems likely the man will face serious jail time if he is found guilty. In addition, civil law says the family of the deceased boy and the injured parties are entitled to file wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits, respectively, against the driver in a civil court setting regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial. 

Source: New York Daily News, “Suspected drunken driver kills teen riding bicycle in Brooklyn“, Rocco Parascandola, July 18, 2016