Car accident injures teen in New York

A 39-year-old man is facing charges after a crash that injured a teenager in Greenpoint, police in Brooklyn have reported. The New York man stands accused of assault and reckless endangerment after a car accident in which his vehicle struck a 14-year-old boy. It is unknown at this time whether he has arranged for legal representation, but he has been released on $3,500 bail.

The accident report confirms that the man was behind the wheel of his SUV the night of Jan. 22, transporting his wife, their two toddler-aged children and the family nanny. It appears the man may have tried to cut off another driver, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The SUV left the road and jumped the curb onto the sidewalk. 

The teenager was walking on the sidewalk at the time and was struck with enough force to throw him approximately 10 feet. The occupants of the vehicle were unharmed, but the boy was rushed to a local hospital with unspecified injuries. Thankfully the teen is expected to survive, but the man who hit him will face serious criminal consequences if he is found guilty.

New York state law requires all drivers to operate their vehicles in a safe manner. If the car accident report is true, it appears the driver may have violated this requirement. Even if he is not found guilty of the charges filed against him pertaining to the car accident, the boy’s family is still entitled to sue for personal injury in civil court. While criminal convictions are not required for a civil suit to be successful, it can be helpful to make use of evidence gathered by police. 

Source: New York Post, “Driver who hit teen had family in car at time of crash“, Priscilla deGregory, Jan. 24, 2017