A Windsor Terrace woman is suing New York City for $3 million after nearly dying in a pedestrian-v-bicycle accident that occurred on June 11. The life-threatening crash took place in Prospect Park while the 37-year-old woman was walking her dog along West Lake Drive. She was crossing a bike path at Center Drive when she collided with a man on his bicycle.
The woman nearly died from injuries to her brain, skull and face. According to The Brooklyn Paper, she remained hospitalized for 25 days following the accident.
The woman filed a lawsuit against the cyclist - a Park Slope man - and he has countersued for his own injuries, alleging that the woman improperly crossed into the bike lane. That case has yet to be resolved, but the woman has now filed a lawsuit against NYC for a "careless and reckless" failure to enforce traffic laws in the Prospect Park area. There have been at least three reported pedestrian-bicyclist collisions in the same area this year.
As New York continues to experience growing pains with the rapidly growing cyclist population, it is important for both pedestrians and cyclists to exercise caution. Each bicycle accident is different: sometimes the cyclist is at fault, sometimes the pedestrian and sometimes both parties bear part of the blame.
If you have been injured in an accident as a cyclist, contact an experienced new york cycle and bike attorney today.
Source: The Brooklyn Paper, "Pedestrian injured in collision with Park cyclist sues City," Natalie O'Neill, Nov. 21, 2011