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Pedestrian Horror: Woman Injured By Falling Walk Signal
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Sep 14, 2011
Modified Sep 14, 2011
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Sep 14, 2011
Modified Sep 14, 2011
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It's every pedestrian's nightmare: a Brooklyn woman says she was thrown into traffic and severely injured when a Walk/Don't Walk sign came dislodged from its post and fell on her. First pedestrians have to deal with a bipolar signal man, and now we have to worry about him coming crashing down? It's no way to walk, man.
"[The box] just came down and hit me," said Rebecca Gomez, who was standing at Hillel Place and Flatbush Avenue when the freak accident occurred. "Every day I have pain. I wake up with pain. Even when I just walk around I have to take breaks.” She was eventually forced to move back to her hometown in California and now must decide whether she will undergo potentially risky back surgery as a result of her injuries. Naturally, Gomez is taking the Department of Transportation to court, claiming that the city was negligent by not having a regular inspection program for the signals.
"The city said that there’s no procedure for inspection; I believe it creates an accident waiting to happen,” said Gomez's lawyer. “Theses boxes are suspended in mid-air—literally over everybody’s heads—and no one bothers to make sure they’re fastened properly.” We have contacted the DOT for comment and will update with any information we receive.
Tagged
brooklyn
injury
lawsuit
pedestrian
walk signal
walk/ don't walk
Jamie Feldmar
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