Residents near a dangerous intersection in Queens have long been concerned with the safety of the area. People say that it is a hot spot for speeders and people trying to avoid traffic on busy parkways. They say that they have seen cars racing through the area because there are not enough traffic signals or measures to stop drivers from speeding.
At first, nothing was done to mitigate the issue. Members of the community filed requests with the Department of Transportation to have one intersection in particular investigated for possible solutions, but still no changes were made. It was only after a tragic and fatal accident that a traffic light was added to the intersection. Understandably, the family of the New York victim says the addition of the light was too little, too late.
It was about 3 a.m. when the 24-year-old woman was driving home. She was stopped at a stop sign and pulled out into the intersection to turn left. A speeding car, which was an all-too familiar sight on this stretch of road, smashed into the woman’s car, killing her.
The victim’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city because she says that they were aware of the dangerous intersection where her daughter was killed, but did nothing to remedy the situation.
Now four months later, a traffic light has finally been installed at the intersection where the woman was killed. According to a spokesperson for the DOT Queens, the light was not installed as a direct response to the fatal accident, though it certainly would appear that way.
It is truly devastating when someone is killed in an accident that could have been avoided. In situations where a loved one is killed in an accident involving a negligent party, the victim’s family has the right to pursue compensation for the loss. While money cannot undo the tragedy of a fatal accident, it can help penalize the parties responsible for an accident and help a victim’s family cope with the loss and begin to recover.
Source: Times Ledger, DOT installs light after deadly wreck
