Children in poorer neighborhoods are more likely to be injured while walking, according to Gotham Gazette.
Avenue H and Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn is one of New York City’s most dangerous intersections for children. Within a one-block radius, nearly 50 individuals under 17 were hit and injured by vehicles in a seven-year period, three of which died. In 2 police precincts that cover the sear, more than 900 kids were hurt and 10 were killed by motorists. Unfortunately, this is not NYC’s only hotspot for child pedestrian injuries.
NYC drivers hit and injured more than 15,000 children between 2005 and 2012 and 100 were killed.
Analyses of pedestrian injuries and deaths in NYC reveal a pattern of hotspots. Some of NYC’s most dangerous roads and intersections for pedestrians are in low-income neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx. These areas are severely congested, poorly maintained, and inadequately policed.
Residents and parents in these accident-prone areas say more safety measures need to be taken. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero campaign to eliminate pedestrian fatalities is a start, and one backed by many families who have lost children to traffic crashes. But most of the advocacy work is being done by residents with little knowledge about street design or access to data about pedestrian injuries.
Ironically, most of the pedestrian safety programs are being implemented in wealthy neighborhoods such as Park Slope, where pedestrian fatalities are low and are not as prominent in low-income communities such as Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, where child injury rates are 7 times higher than that of Park Slope.
If your child has been seriously injured in a pedestrian-related accident in New York City, contact the experienced attorneys at Fine, Olin & Anderman for your free consultation.
