Cab driver dies in fatal hit-and-run accident

A fatal car crash occurred recently in Nassau County that took the life of a cab driver. The accident occurred on Long Island in the early morning hours of a recent Saturday morning in April. When a New York resident is killed in a car accident that was caused by a negligent driver, the victim’s family is typically entitled to file a wrongful death suit against the responsible driver.

A 23-year-old man was driving a luxury sedan on Long Island’s Hempstead Turnpike. Nassau County Police said the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed — perhaps twice the posted limit of 30 m.p.h. He lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a taxi, police said.

The force of the collision was so great that investigators say the taxi was pushed across two lanes of traffic and onto a sidewalk, where it slammed into a power pole. The driver of the taxi died due to the crash. The driver then ran from the scene of the deadly accident, but was apprehended around an hour later.

The driver is now facing charges in relation to this accident, including second degree manslaughter, driving a vehicle without a license, and DWI. If he is convicted on one or all of these charges in a New York criminal court, this conviction might be used as proof of negligence in a wrongful death suit filed by the victim’s family. A successfully filed wrongful death suit may result in the entry of a monetary judgment, compensation which can be used to offset some of the typical financial burdens incurred by the victim’s family, including burial costs. An experienced personal injury attorney is often consulted to assess the validity of the claim.

Source: abc7ny.com, “Cab driver killed in violent hit and run in Franklin Square“, Mallory Hoff, April 23, 2016