Woman killed in pedestrian accident at farmers market
A New Jersey farmers market became the scene of a car accident on the afternoon of Aug. 17, leading to the death of a local woman. The incident occurred around 2:20 p.m. in Hawthorne when a pickup truck went through a barricade and into the farmers market. The market was nearing the end of its business day and vendors were starting to close. The truck struck several people, injuring a few and killing one woman after briefly dragging her.
The woman who was dragged for approximately half a mile was pronounced dead at the scene. Two others who were injured were transported to area hospitals for treatment. Their injuries were not considered to be severe. One of the injured people was at her family’s farm stand when the truck hit the table, which in turn struck her. She was treated for minor injuries.
A man was taken into custody at the scene of the pedestrian accident, and he has since been charged with vehicular homicide. It is unclear why the man drove into the market. The mayor expressed a belief that if the incident had occurred even just an hour earlier, prior to the market’s closing, many more people could have been injured.
When a driver’s actions lead to a pedestrian suffering injuries in a designated pedestrian area, the pedestrian may choose to hold the driver accountable through a civil claim. This can be done even if the driver is not facing any criminal charges; a civil lawsuit has a lower burden of proof than a criminal case. Such a claim might allow the injured pedestrian to recover at least some of the funds that were used to cover medical treatment.
Source: NJ.com, “Hawthorne man charged with vehicular homicide after truck drives through farmers market,” Kathryn Brenzel, Aug. 11, 2014
Source: New York Daily News, “Woman killed after truck crashes into N.J. farmers market “, August 10, 2014
Source: New York Daily News, “Woman killed after truck crashes into N.J. farmers market “, August 10, 2014
