Harlem was the scene of a recent three-car-collision involving a livery cab and two other vehicles. The accident occurred around 6 a.m., on Thursday, Aug. 5, at the intersection of Madison Avenue with East 119th Street.
Police investigators concluded that the three autos collided, and then the livery cab bounded over the curb, stopping just short of crashing into the nine-story Madison Plaza, which houses luxury condos. It wound up only inches from the building’s main entrance.
According to the building super, “The cab almost ran into the building. A pedestrian was laying on the floor. The cab driver was pretty messed up [with] blood on him and his shirt. They had to cut the (car) door out to get him.”
One victim received only minor injuries and got treatment at the accident scene. Two others were transported by first responders to Harlem Hospital where they were reported to be in “serious but stable condition.”
A potted plant at the building’s front door appeared to be another casualty. The building super remarked that due to drivers blowing through the light at the intersection, accidents occurred there frequently.
News reports did not indicate if any drivers were cited in the accident. However, a person who is injured in an auto accident does not have to depend upon the adjudication of any criminal charges or citations in order to make a claim against the driver deemed to be at fault in the accident. Even when there are no tickets issued, civil litigation can be pursued, as liability can be assessed and determined regardless of a lack of criminal culpability.
Source: New York Daily News, “Two hospitalized after livery cab involved in three-car crash nearly slams into Harlem building,” Keldy Ortiz and Thomas Tracy, Aug. 11, 2016