Traffic Accident Involving Student Results in Wrongful Death Suit

The mother of a Tottenville high school student who was killed in 2009, while crossing a street in front of the school, is now bringing a wrongful death lawsuit. The suit alleges that a number of individuals and entities bear some responsibility for the 17-year-old girl’s death. Among those named in the lawsuit are the drivers of two cars, the city and its transportation department, and two emergency medical technicians who responded to the accident.

The accident occurred in November of 2009 when the 17-year-old was attempting to cross a street near the High School. One of the drivers named in the lawsuit had apparently stopped to allow the girl to cross the street when his car was rear-ended by a second car. The impact of the collision pushed the first car forward, causing it to hit the girl attempting to cross the road and pinning her underneath the vehicle.

Emergency medical technicians responded to the scene of the accident, but allegedly failed to properly intubate the girl leading to a loss of oxygen to her brain and further brain damage. The girl was transported to Staten Island University Hospital, but died from her head and internal injuries less than a week later.

The lawsuit alleges that the city and its transportation department were negligent in not properly marking the road and placing enough traffic-controlling devices nearby to account for pedestrian traffic from the school. After the accident, the city reportedly spend $60,000 to make improvements in the area including adding traffic lights, concrete medians, and additional signs to alert drivers of pedestrian traffic.

If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, even if it resulted in injuries that you might not think are serious, you may want to consult with an attorney to make sure your rights to compensation are protected.

Source: SILive.com, Mother of tragic Tottenville HS student sues city, alleging negligence, Frank Donnelly, 1/6/11