Woman dead in New York car accident, man dies shortly after

Two pedestrians are dead in unrelated crashes following a particularly tragic weekend in Brooklyn, according to local news sources. New York police have reported that a man was killed in a car accident while a woman was also killed in a separate accident some seven blocks away. The driver in the first accident is still being sought for questioning, while the second driver has been charged by police. 

The first accident report states that at around 7:16 p.m. on the night of Nov. 18, a 66-year-old woman was struck and killed by a car only described as dark in colour. The driver apparently fled the scene. Police have asked the community for their help in locating this driver and bringing him or her to justice. 

The second accident report says that only a few hours later at 10 p.m., a 61-year-old man was struck and injured by a livery cab. He succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital sometime later. The 21-year-old cab driver has been charged with driving with a suspended license. 

In both of these cases, New York law tends to favor a pedestrian over the driver of a vehicle in a car accident case. This is particularly true considering the unrelated charges that have been brought against the second driver, and the hit-and-run charges likely facing the first. The families of these two victims will be entitled to file wrongful death suits, one against the taxi driver and possibly his company, and one against the driver who fled once that individual is caught. These cases can be handled civilly and with no attachment to a criminal case. 

Source: New York Daily News, “Two pedestrians struck and killed by cars just 7 blocks apart in Brooklyn: cops“, Andy Mai, Joseph Stepansky, Nov. 19, 2015