When an accident occurs on a busy New York street, there will more than likely be witnesses. Often, the witnesses to a car accident will do what they can to help the victims. Sometimes, however, the intervention of bystanders might actually do more harm than good.
Take, for instance, a recent pedestrian vs. car accident involving two vehicles and two pedestrians. Somehow, the driver of one of the vehicles lost control of it during a left turn. As the car careened out-of-control, it struck a livery sedan and two people. One of the two people, a woman, was caught entangled in the vehicle and was dragged about a half a block before the car finally came to a stop.
Bystanders rushed to the woman’s aide and realized that she was unconscious. They attempted to lift the car off her with a jack. However, they soon realized that as they did so, they were dragging her with it.
When emergency responders arrived, the woman was rushed to a hospital in the New York City area where she was last reported as being in critical condition. The other pedestrian suffered injuries that left him or her in serious condition. Other people involved suffered only minor injuries.
Police are reporting that no criminal charges are being contemplated in connection with this pedestrian vs. car accident — at least for now. Both of the severely injured pedestrians could be facing lengthy recoveries. During that time, medical bills, lost wages and other economic damages will be piling up. Filing personal injury claims could result in an award of these and other damages if negligence is proved on the part of the driver whose car went out-of-control.