Binghamton Law Blog: Covering Topics from Personal Injury to Estate Planning Law

Most people know the importance of paying very close attention to their surroundings while walking on roads. However, even residents of large urban areas with years of experience sharing space with all kinds of motorized vehicles can be caught off guard and end up seriously injured or killed. Sadly, such was the case when a woman stepped off a curb in New York City and was hit and killed by a cement truck. Her family may now be suing for wrongful death.

The horrific incident happened on a recent Monday morning. According to police, a 34-year-old woman stepped out from between two parked cars and onto a city street. A cement truck was traveling down the street at the time and struck her. Reportedly, she was killed instantly. A witness has said the truck appeared to be traveling at a high speed when the crash happened.

New York residents are gearing up for the winter months. For people with sensory issues, like persons who have suffered a serious brain injury, things may be extra difficult. Victims who struggle with balance, a common problem following a brain injury, may have a particularly difficult time navigating in longer periods of darkness, slick surfaces, and even holiday lights and loud music. 

Despite the commonality of balance issues following a brain injury, experts say very little research has been done to develop new therapeutic treatments that might help a victim regain some of their sensory control. A group of researchers gathered a group comprised of volunteers with and without a brain injury. They began by having the participants simply stand upright, and measured how much each person's body swayed with sensors. 

Regardless of how many winters drivers in upstate New York have navigated snow and ice-covered roads, extra care is necessary as each winter comes around. Complacency causes many car accidents, often with devastating consequences. Safety authorities recommend specific tips to avoid crashes in extreme weather conditions.

The first steps for vehicle owners are to check windshield wipers, fill-up the washer fluid container and ensure that tire treads are safe. Authorities also recommend that cars are equipped with shovels, jumper cables, flares, ice scrapers and ropes. Additional emergency supplies include extra sets of warm clothes, blankets, flashlights and portable radios. Informing a responsible person the details of the planned route, destination and estimated arrival time is a good idea.

A vehicle may suddenly cross over into oncoming traffic for a variety of reasons: driver distraction, fatigue, impairment or even mechanical failure. Sometimes, such incidents result from circumstances out of a driver's control, but often, the human behind the wheel holds the responsibility. In any case, car accidents involving a head-on collision typically do not end well, as was the case in a recent New York crash that left a man with a head injury.

The collision happened late on a Wednesday afternoon on County Highway 21 in Franklin. According to investigators, a southbound vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with a northbound vehicle. The vehicle that was hit then rolled over several times. Both drivers were taken to different hospitals for treatment of injuries. Reportedly, the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash, a 50-year-old Walton man, was treated for a possible head injury, and the 62-year-old man driving the other vehicle suffered a head injury.