A damning number was revealed last Wednesday. Of the 4,000 hit-and-run car accidents that resulted in injuries or deaths this year, only 44, or one percent, of the accidents has been investigated by the police, according to Inspector Dennis Fulton of the NYPD’s Transportation Bureau.
Of the 44 cases that the NYPD collision investigation unit has looked into, only 28 of those cases ended in arrests.
So far, there have been 38,000 hit-and-run accidents in this year to date. Thirty-one of those accidents resulted in deaths while another 4,000 resulted in injuries, Fulton told the New York City Council.
The City Council is considering legislation that would hearten civil penalties for hit-and-run accidents. Proposed legislation would increase fines for hit-and-run accidents resulting in property damage to $1,000, and cases involving injury or death would increase from $5,000 to $10,000.
“The NYPD’s shocking statistics really show just how important it is for our city to punish the 4,000 people who hit another human being with their vehicle just this year, left them to die on the street and thought they could get away with it,” Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said.
“We are sending a message directly to hit-and-run drivers: If you hit someone and leave the scene of the crash, we will find you and punish you to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
The proposals come after a series of fatal pedestrian car crashes that left 12 people dead across the city in less than two weeks.
Mayor Bill De Blasio has faced criticism over his Vision Zero proposal which is meant to eliminate traffic deaths. He has defended the effort, saying that progress has been made in reducing the number of deaths from car accidents. He added that more initiatives will come.
The attorneys at Morgan Levine Dolan have recovered millions of dollars for those who have been injured or killed in a car accident, pedestrian accident or any other type of incident involving motor vehicles. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car crash, please contact Jared Levine of Morgan Levine Dolan at 212-461-499 today.
