December 21, 2010 – New York, NY – FDNY’s proposed plan to begin charging a car accident fee has met some serious opposition in the New York City Council, according to reports from gothamist.com. The plan is for the department to begin charging drivers for help after car accidents. Under the plan, which would begin in July, FDNY would charge $490 for car accidents or fires with injuries, $365 for crashes without injuries and $415 for car fires with no injuries. The reason behind the plan is to fix FDNY’s struggling budget, which currently needs to eliminate $22.9 million. If the plan is implemented, it will theoretically cut $1 million from the current budget’s deficit. Meanwhile, City Council members are upset over the idea, and one of the council members has even introduced a bill that would ban these types of fees. The FDNY has argued that such fees are becoming more common in the United States.
Another budget cutting suggestion is a plan to shut down 20 fire companies at night, which could save as much as $15 million. If you have been injured in a car accident in New York, then you should seek help from a New York personal injury lawyer. An experienced personal injury lawyer is up to date on the latest changes in local and state laws and may help you recover damages in a personal injury claim. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009, there were 1,156 fatalities as a result of traffic accidents in the state of New York.
To help raise awareness of traffic safety in the New York area, our firm will frequently publish blogs about traffic accidents that occur throughout the 5 boroughs and beyond. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in New York that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Among the most common types of car accident in New York include:
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions;
- single-vehicle crashes;
- rollover accidents; and
- “distracted driver” accidents or crashes caused by intoxicated drivers.
