Last weekend, three teens were killed in a motor vehicle accident on Hyland Boulevard in Staten Island, police have confirmed.
The accident left the three teens dead after their Ford Mustang crashed into a GMC Yukon that was making a left turn. Occupants in the SUV suffered minor injuries and were taken to Staten Island University Hospital.
The fatalities were all passengers of the Ford Mustang. The driver, a 17-year-old boy, is in critical, but stable, condition at Staten Island University Hospital.
The collision between the two vehicles caused the Mustang to spin out of control and careen into a nearby tree, which severed the car in two and ejected the backseat passengers. The front end of the vehicle eventually came to a stop inside of the intersection and the rest of the vehicle came to a stop along a metal fence beyond a patch of grass.
The SUV driver was ticketed with driving with a suspended license, but was not arrested for the collision. The NYPD determined that the Mustang was likely speeding, and the occupants were not seatbelted, which played a significant role in the outcome of the crash. The license status of the driver of the Mustang was not immediately clear and no charges have been filed against him as of the time of writing this post.
The fatal crash has added support to the Department of Transportation’s proposal to overhaul Hyland Boulevard.
The redesign aims to add bike lanes, knock out a lane for moving traffic in each direction, and add left turn only lanes, in an effort to improve vehicular safety along the 1.2 mile stretch between Satterlee Street and Pagan Avenue. The recent fatal crash, which occurred at the intersection of Richard Avenue is only one block away from the planned redesign.
New York City Transportation Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, has expressed support for DOT’s plan, citing the crash statistics on Hyland Boulevard, which he called “shocking.” The numbers don’t lie: on the southern 1.2 mile section between Page and Satterlee, the killed or seriously injured rate is 7.5 people per mile, which is nine times higher than the rest of all Staten Island, and 2.5 times higher than the rest of all New York City. In fact, that 1.2-mile section has the highest crash rates of any street in all the five boroughs. Advocacy group Transportation Alternatives also called for safety reforms to slow down car traffic on Hyland Boulevard, calling it “Staten Island’s Boulevard of Death.”
Some accidents do not result solely from the negligent operation of a vehicle, but instead from a danger that is inherent in the design of the roadway itself. The City of New York may be liable for damages when a defect, dangerous design, unsafe traffic management plan or hazardous condition on a city street causes injuries. If the design, control, or maintenance of a road causes or contributes to an accident, under certain circumstances, the owner of the roadway (the City or State) may be responsible to compensate the accident victim for the damages they incurred as a result of the collision. However, the doctrine of qualified immunity may protect the City or State from lawsuits alleging negligent roadway design.
An accident victim should be careful to select an attorney with the skills and experience to navigate these legal issues.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a motor vehicle crash, contact the Grandelli Law Firm.
