Miami Injury Lawyer Blog
A family faced devastating tragedy on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on the morning of Tuesday, June 4, when a teenager driving his parent’s SUV without a license struck and killed a four-year-old and injured her grandmother. According to authorities, the accident occurred at West 97th Street and Amsterdam Avenue around 8:15 a.m. Franklin Reyes, the seventeen-year-old teenager driving the SUV, a Nissan Frontier, crashed into a restaurant on the ground floor of an apartment building where four-year-old Ariel Russo and her fifty-eight-year-old grandmother Katie Gutierrez were located. Both Russo and Gutierrez were pinned against a gate and as Reyes reversed, he may have struck both females again.
Authorities believe that Reyes was operating the Frontier at approximately 34 mph at the time of the accident, which is 4 mph over the speed limit on New York City streets. Both Russo and Gutierrez were transported to a local hospital following the crash. Russo was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital, but Gutierrez is in stable condition.
Officers had attempted to stop the Frontier about ten blocks south of the accident scene when they noticed wide turns from far lanes and reckless driving. Although Reyes initially pulled the Frontier over, as two officers approached the car, he sped away. This is when Reyes headed north and made a left onto 97th street, where he crashed into the building. Reyes was arrested at the scene on charges of manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter. He was transported to the hospital after complaining of difficulty breathing. Authorities state that Reyes had a permit, but not a driver’s license, and was operating his parent’s vehicle without permission. Police are investigating whether Reyes’ lack of driving experience contributed to the accident.
Child killed by car after driver flees car stop, www.palmbeachpost.com June 4, 2013
The loss of a young child is one of the most difficult experiences a family could face. When young children are killed in automobile accidents, it is often because of a driver’s careless, reckless, or negligent actions. Many of these accidents could have been avoided if the driver had only been more careful and thought in advance about how much devastation he could cause if he did not operate his motor vehicle properly. The Fort Lauderdale child injury attorneys have over twenty years of experience working as automobile accident lawyers and understand how particularly devastating unexpectedly losing a child can be on a family. The Coral Gables personal injury attorneys are prepared to help victims injured in car accidents and their families recover the compensation they deserve. If you have suffered injuries or your loved one has died as a result of an automobile accident caused by another person’s careless actions, call (305) 661-2008 today for your free consultation.
The Miami motor vehicle accident attorneys at the Friedland | Carmona handle all types of personal injury cases throughout the state of Florida, including Boca Raton, Homestead, North Miami, South Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, Kendall, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. The Friedland | Carmona handles all types of personal injury claims, including slip and falls, defective products, medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents and construction site injuries. Call today and let our family take care of your family!