Wrongful Death

August 10, 2021

As Impaired Driving Rises in NYC, Enforcement Drops

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A report by the New York City Independent Budget Office found that injurious or fatal DWI crashes are rising.

A new report by the New York City Independent Budget Office found that even though impaired driving arrests have decreased in NYC in recent years, there’s been an increase in fatality- or injury-causing crashes by impaired drivers. According to the report, “DWI crashes with injuries or fatalities” increased from a total of 942 in 2015 to a total of 1,234 in 2019. In the same period, arrests for impaired driving declined 40% between 2013 and 2019, from 9,879 to 5,339. Continue reading

August 3, 2021

Lawmakers Call for National Vision Zero to End Car Crash Deaths

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A Senator and a House member have introduced a non-binding resolution calling for a national Vision Zero campaign.

Two lawmakers have introduced a resolution that would call for a “National Vision Zero” campaign, according to a recent report by StreetsBlog. Vision Zero is an effort to eliminate traffic fatalities. The resolution, introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, calls on Congress and the Department of Transportation to “commit to working together to 6 achieve zero roadway fatalities by the year 2050.” Continue reading

July 27, 2021

Data Shows Drastic Increase in Deadly NYC Traffic Violence

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New data by Transportation Alternatives shows just how deadly New York City’s streets have been in 2021.

This year may go down in history as one of the most lethal for New York City’s road users. According to recent news reports, the first six months of 2021 have seen more road user deaths than any previous first six months of the year since the beginning of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.

July 26, 2021

New NYC Bill Would Increase Penalties for E-Bike Hit-and-Runs

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A new bill proposed by a New York State Senato would increase the penalties for e-bike hit-and-runs.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan, has introduced a bill that would “make it a felony for electric-vehicle riders to crash into someone and leave the scene,” according to a report by Steetsblog. The bill joins another proposal by State Senator Brad Hoylman of the Upper West Side which would increase penalties for hit-and-run incidents that involve e-scooters; one chief difference between the two is that Krueger’s bill includes pedal-assist Citibikes.

July 19, 2021

NYC Construction Safety Report Details Job Site Fatalities

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New York City’s Department of Buildings released its review of the 12 construction-related fatalities in 2019.

The New York City Department of Buildings recently released its Construction Safety Report for 2019-2020. The document notes that although construction incidents that involved injuries and fatalities decreased by 24% in 2019—”the first drop in nearly a decade”—there were nonetheless twelve deaths in construction-related incidents that year. “Even one death caused by unsafe work practices on a construction site is unacceptable,” the report states, “and the Department is committed to further driving down this number.” The Department carefully reviews every construction-related incident in New York City in order to hold responsible parties accountable and prevent future fatalities and injuries. Below are brief descriptions of the 12 tragic incidents in 2019, as described by the Department of Buildings.

July 13, 2021

NYC Construction Deaths Yield No-Tolerance Sweeps

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New York City’s Department of Buildings has executed “zero-tolerance sweeps” of the city’s construction sites.

New York City building inspectors are implementing “zero-tolerance sweeps” in the city’s job sites, according to a recent report by Construction Dive. The sweeps are in response to “three worker deaths in recent weeks, two of which were the result of falls,” according to the report, and have resulted in 322 sites shut down due to hazardous conditions. Continue reading

June 21, 2021

Reports Describe Hit-and-Runs in New York City

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A cyclist was recently killed in New York City in an accident near the Bronx River Parkway.

Recent news reports describe two hit-and-runs in New York City in the last few months, one of which killed a cyclist in the Bronx. According to StreetsBlog, the cyclist was on Southern Boulevard in Bronx Park when he was hit by the driver of a Mercedez Benz apparently attempting to overtake him “at an apparent high rate of speed” near the Bronx River Parkway on-ramp around 11:20pm last Friday. StreetsBlog reports that the driver struck the cyclist from behind, “sending him flying backwards, first into the windshield of the Benz, and then onto the pavement.” Continue reading

June 15, 2021

NYC Devotes $39 Million to End Car Crashes on McGuinness Boulevard

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

After years of deadly car crashes on Brooklyn’s McGuinness Boulevard, New York City has finally committed to redesigning the thoroughfare.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed to carving out nearly $40 million from the city’s budget to redesign Brooklyn’s McGuinness Boulevard, site of eleven pedestrian deaths and three cyclist deaths since 1995. According to StreetsBlog, a single 1.25-mile stretch of McGuinness Boulevard, from the Pulaski Bridge to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, has been home to 1,548 car crashes since 2013, injuring “40 cyclists, 59 pedestrians, and 236 motorcyclists.” A deadly crash last month killed schoolteacher Matthew Jensen near the BQE’s entry ramp; the driver of the hit-and-run has not yet been found.

June 8, 2021

Rising SUV Ownership in NYC Threatens Pedestrians, Cyclists

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Recent data indicates that SUV ownership in NYC increased 21% between 2016 and 2020.

A trove of data about SUV ownership in New York City, obtained by street safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, reveals that New York City residents “are buying SUVs at an increasingly high rate, and larger vehicles are contributing to more cyclist and pedestrian deaths” in the city.

June 7, 2021

Study Finds Speeding Epidemic In New York City

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A recent observation of New York’s drivers found that 70% were speeding.

A recent study by street safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has uncovered an epidemic of speeding in New York City, finding that 70% of drivers observed were driving faster than the speed limit. “Speeding drivers are a leading cause of death and injury on New York City streets,” the study notes, but because city officials “do not have control over speed limits,” New Yorkers are left woefully unprotected from the raft of dangerous driving. One possible solution to the epidemic is a bill currently under consideration by the New York State Legislature, “Sammy’s Law,” which would give New York City the power to control its own speed limits.