Woman to run marathon to support fatal accident prevention

The tragedy of high pedestrian and bicyclist deaths in New York City continues to be a controversial problem for many concerned groups and individuals. One woman who lost her fiancé in a hit-and-run incident in New York City has started a nonprofit project to rally support for Traffic Alternatives, a group that is committed to fighting fatal accident numbers in the city. The group promotes bicycling, walking and using public transit instead of an automobile.

The 33-year-old is trying to raise money for the nonprofit group. Her fiancé was killed by a Chevy Impala near his Union Square home in Manhattan. The woman began to research statistics on pedestrian deaths in the city. She found that the reports for 2014 ranged from 248 to 291 deaths from traffic fatalities.

She will run the New York Marathon to raise funds for Transportation Alternatives. The driver of the car that killed her male partner is charged with leaving the scene of an accident. His case may come to trial soon. Regardless of the outcome of a criminal prosecution against the tortfeasor that caused a fatal accident, it is always possible to bring a civil action against the wrongdoer for monetary damages for wrongful death.

A wrongful death case is a civil claim that would be separate from and independent of any criminal prosecution. In it, the decedent’s estate can claim damages for lost wages, lost earning capacity over the victim’s remaining lifetime, medical and funeral expenses, along with pain and suffering in many instances. While it is necessary for interested groups and family members of fatal accident victims to lobby governmental entities to keep the pressure on for greater protections for pedestrians and bicyclists, it is also a powerful response to the problem when victims sue the wrongdoers and extract maximum economic reparations for their tragic losses.

Source: nj.com, “Bayonne woman’s fundraiser honors memory of fiance killed in NYC hit-and-run“, Jonathan Lin, July 31, 2015