Our Queens personal injury lawyers examine the case of an anonymous five-year-old child who was seriously injured last month after the vehicle he was traveling in rear-ended an MTA bus. The boy was listed as being in critical condition following the crash.
Boy in Critical Condition with Head Injuries, Neck Injuries after Queens MTA Bus Crash
The MTA bus fleet contains more than 5,800 buses. Each model has different specifications, but to use one, the Orion VII, as an example, an MTA bus can carry loads weighing as much as 42,540 pounds. By comparison, the average passenger vehicle weighs around 4,000 pounds, so it’s unsurprising that car occupants often suffer serious injuries, such as brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, when buses and cars collide.
Unfortunately, that is what happened to one five-year-old boy, whose name was not publicly disclosed, after the car he was riding in rear-ended an MTA bus in Queens. The rear-end collision, which occurred late last month, was forceful enough to cause the child to fly out of his seat, though he was not ejected from the vehicle.
The boy, who sustained critical head injuries and neck injuries, was immediately transported to Long Island Jewish Hospital for medical treatment. According to a spokesperson for the FDNY, a second vehicle occupant, who was less severely injured, was transported to Jamaica Hospital. Neither individual’s status has been publicly updated since the time of the accident.
The crash occurred near the intersection of Beach Channel Drive and Beach 67th St. in Arverne, a Queens neighborhood situated on the Rockaway Peninsula, shortly before 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, August 25. The car the boy was riding in rear-ended an out-of-service MTA vehicle, a Q35 bus, which was parked at an Arverne bus stop. The underlying cause of the accident was either unknown or undisclosed at the time of the crash.
An employee at a local Chinese food restaurant told reporters he heard the commotion caused by the crash, but did not actually see the collision occur, nor did he get a glimpse of the injured boy. He did, however, see the second injury victim.
“We just heard a sound,” the employee said. “A car hit a bus. There was one lady in the car. She walked out by herself. And the ambulance came and took her to the hospital.”
Several similar accidents occurred in the days preceding the rear-end collision in Arverne. In one, a six-year-old boy was struck by a hit and run driver in Brooklyn, sustaining a pelvic fracture (broken hip) as a result. In another crash, a 5-year-old identified as Jahdiel Cabrera was hit by an unlicensed driver in a Bronx car accident. Cabrera suffered skull fractures as a result of the accident.
Who is Liable for a Rear-End Collision in Queens?
In this particular instance, it seems unlikely that MTA will be held liable for the boy’s injuries due to the fact that the striking vehicle – which, in this case, happened to be the passenger vehicle – is typically considered to be liable for damages resulting from a rear-end collision. After a rear-end accident occurs in Queens, it is generally determined that the striking vehicle was following too closely, and was therefore responsible for causing the accident.
Like many states, New York has a law that expressly prohibits following too closely, or tailgating. NY VTL § 1129(a), which is part of the section of New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law that deals with maintaining a safe following distance while driving, prohibits “follow[ing] another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent.”
Contact Our Queens MTA Bus Injury Lawyers if You Were Rear-Ended by an MTA Driver
Rear-end collisions are commonplace in Queens, especially when drivers get distracted by their phones or deliberately tailgate out of frustration with the speed of traffic.
If you or one of your family members was injured after being rear-ended by another vehicle in Queens, you are urged to talk to an experienced Queens MTA accident lawyer to determine whether you could have a personal injury claim. If you were rear-ended by a taxi, a city bus, or another driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, your pain and suffering, any earnings you lost due to your injuries, and other losses and expenses resulting from the rear-end accident.
At Sullivan & Galleshaw, our highly knowledgeable MTA bus crash attorneys combine more than 30 years of experience helping injured Queens residents recover auto accident compensation. We are proud to serve the people of Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and offer free initial consultations. To talk about your MTA bus accident claim in a free legal consultation with our experienced Queens personal injury lawyers, call the law offices of Sullivan & Galleshaw at (718) 843-0300 as soon as possible.