A teenager in Brooklyn was killed in an auto wreck on a recent Monday. The car accident occurred while he was crossing the street to board his school bus. Residents of the neighborhood pointed out that speeding is an ongoing issue in the area, but police have not confirmed whether speed played a factor in the tragic crash. Nevertheless, police suspect that the 14-year-old's vision was obscured due to the hood of his sweatshirt.

It remains unclear if this recent fatal pedestrian accident was the fault of the driver or the fault of the boy, who witnesses say ran out into traffic. Still, the accident highlights the pandemic problem of students being fatally hit by passing drivers while they wait for or cross the street to board their school buses. Some wonder if distracted driving and/or distracted walking could be to blame for these accidents as more individuals and teens are using cell phones and other electronic devices and, therefore, less aware of the world around them.

In a recent initiative, NYC Medial Lab and AT&T teamed up to release research that looks at cell phone distractions and how they endanger pedestrians. The report includes examples of New York City fatalities involving pedestrian-car crashes. The information indicates that New York City has four times the amount of fatal pedestrian car accident deaths than national averages.

Whenever a pedestrian car accident occurs -- in Brooklyn or elsewhere in the metropolitan area -- victims (and family members of any victims who are killed) may wish to investigate the exact cause of the incident. Police investigations often involve pulling cellphone records of drivers involved in the crash. These records may reveal that the driver was engaged in text messaging or other cellphone usage at the time of the event. Such evidence might be useful to support personal injury and/or wrongful death claims of distracted driving in a civil lawsuit seeking a judgment for monetary damages sustained as a result of the accident.

Source: stnonline.com, " Fatal Accident at Brooklyn Bus Stop Kills High School Student", Michelle Fisher, June 4, 2014