New York snow contributes to fatal accidents

There are a lot of downsides to the cold, messy and wet weather. Sure, it is generally unpleasant. It creates long commutes. Most importantly, it creates dangerous commutes and danger overall.

Yesterday served as a tragic example of why the snow is hazardous to New Yorkers. Though a woman who died in a pedestrian accident yesterday wasn’t the only to be killed in a New York motor vehicle accident, her story stands out. She was pregnant, and her child survived the plow accident.

CNN reports that the pregnant woman and her husband were in a parking lot yesterday morning as a private plow truck driver caused a severe accident. He reportedly backed up and crashed into the victim, who was nearly full-term at the time of the crash.

As a result of the crash injuries, the woman didn’t survive. Her baby was delivered by emergency surgery and has survived the tragedy so far. Though the father of the child wasn’t injured in the truck accident, he has to live with the memory of watching his pregnant wife get hit by a truck. He is now a single father.

CNN reports little information about the truck driver and the cause of the fatal pedestrian accident. He doesn’t work for a plowing company, but that doesn’t save him from potential negligence claims. Drivers in general must follow traffic laws and use reasonable caution when operating a vehicle. If the driver in this situation failed to do so, that failure was so serious that it was fatal.

Source: CNN, “Tractor clearing snow kills pregnant NY woman; baby delivered by C-section,” Haimy Asseffa and Ray Sanchez, Feb. 13, 2014