Brooklyn is deadliest borough for pedestrians

Newsday reported today that Manhattan has the most traffic related pedestrian deaths throughout all the boroughs in New York City. A four year study between 2005 and 2009 revealed 1467 people were killed in traffic accidents in the city. 770 of those deaths were pedestrians, and 200 of those took place in Manhattan. Here's an important statistic that the news article described, “Of the 770 pedestrians killed, 150 had the right-of-way at an intersection.”

If a pedestrian has a right of way at an intersection, that means that a driver failed to yield to the pedestrian, and in all likelihood, would be setting himself up for liability if a lawsuit were brought against that driver. Of course the issue of exactly who had the right-of-way is often a question of fact and that is why eyewitnesses to an accident scene are vital to establish liability.

Interestingly, the title of the Newsday article is “NYC walkers, beware.” Despite pointing out that Manhattan had the most deaths per square mile, “Brooklyn had the highest percentage of pedestrian deaths, with 32%.”

This report comes hot on the heels of two recent car crashes on Long Island where drunk drivers entered highways going in the wrong direction. "What's going on here?!”