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Driver Sues City For Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Crash That Claimed His Arm, Killed His Passenger
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 26, 2011
Modified Nov 26, 2011
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WCBS 880
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 26, 2011
Modified Nov 26, 2011
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In April, a Volkswagen Jetta careened off the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge and crashed into Queens storefronts. Passenger Beatriz Rodriguez died from her injuries while driver Alexander Palacio's arm was amputated. Now Palacio, who was charged with unlicensed driving, is suing the city.
According to the Post, Palacio's lawsuit "[accuses] the city of negligence for altering the exit ramp to create space for pedestrians and bicyclists." Palacio's crash came a week after another car crashed from the same exit and into the same storefronts—injuring the driver and killing a pedestrian. Then, a month later, another car flew off the ramp, crashing into a parked car.
Palacio's lawsuit is not the only one going around—the two damaged stores may file a lawsuit, too. The stores' lawyer told the Post that "Palacio may also be named in the lawsuit because cops believe he was speeding and driving without a license." Earlier this year, the stores' lawyer Scott Agulnick said, "Clearly, after that first accident, the powers that be should have realized that there was a fundamental problem with how the traffic is handled. The fact that there was a second accident confirms what everyone has been saying, which is that this intersection is something of a death trap."
Tagged
59th street bridge
crash
ed koch queensboro bridge
fatal crash
lawsuit
queensboro bridge
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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