Tragic Motor Vehicle Accident Kills New York Woman

With her longtime love at her side, 65-year-old Olga Rivera was strolling on a sidewalk at midday on a Monday in November. The couple was startled by a truck heading straight at them. Unable to get out of the way, Ms. Rivera was struck by the truck after it was hit by a taxi at 102^nd Avenue and Park Avenue. Ms. Rivera, fatally injured, sank to the sidewalk as her grief-stricken partner, 68-year-old Ramon Ramirez begged her not to die.

While emergency responders assisted Ms. Rivera, Mr. Ramirez would not leave her side. “Mi amor! Please don’t die. Not today. How could this happen on your birthday?” he said, repeating such entreaties over and over again. They had been out for a celebratory birthday walk as the accident unfolded.

It was determined that a taxi carrying two passengers was traveling west on 102^nd Avenue, moved through the underpass and slammed into a box truck southbound on Park Avenue. The force of the impact sent the truck into pedestrians, taking the life of Ms. Rivera, who was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Potential causes of the accident include:

• The taxi driver, also injured in the accident, ran a red light.
• Residents say it is difficult to see the stoplight from the underpass and that it is not the first time an accident has occurred at the corner.
• Others note that the height of the stoplight makes it hard to see altogether.

New York is a special place to live and work. It can also be deadly. New York streets are always active with pedestrians, cars, trucks, cyclists and others. Too often, multimodal use of roads, inappropriate signage or human error ends a day with the injury or death of a pedestrian or motorist.

If you suffer injury or a loved one dies on the streets of New York, speak with an experienced injury attorney.