Senior citizen struck in car accident in New York

An elderly pedestrian is in the hospital after being struck by a car, according to local sources. The 72-year-old man reportedly suffered a head injury on the night of Jan. 20 after he was struck while crossing the street in West New York. The car accident is still under investigation by local authorities. 

According to the accident report, the man was crossing 62nd Street at approximately 7:30 p.m. when the accident occurred. He was struck by a vehicle driven by a 22-year-old woman, also from West New York. He was rushed to a local hospital with a serious head injury. 

By the following morning his condition had improved from serious to stable. For the moment, no charges have been filed. Police are still in the process of reviewing video footage taken by cameras on a nearby building to determine whether the man was in a crosswalk at the time he was hit. Police do not believe the driver was speeding or using her cellphone at the time of the accident. 

New York police will continue to investigate this car accident to determine how much fault can be attributed to the driver. State law says drivers have an obligation to be aware of their surroundings and be on the lookout for pedestrians even outside of designated crosswalks. If police prove the woman was in any way negligent or reckless in the operation of her vehicle, or if the man was indeed crossing at a designated spot, there could be grounds for the man to file a personal injury suit against her. 

Source: nj.com, “72-year-old man hit by car in West New York, police say“, Laura Herzog, Jan. 21, 2016