February 11, 2011 – New York, NY – According to the news website NYpost.com, Clark Gettinger, 40, of New York was charged with the drunken hit and run accident that left a Midtown deliveryman seriously injured. The hit and run accident victim, Ricardo Gonzales, was struck while riding his bicycle on 8th Avenue and thrown 20 feet. Gonzales was taken to Bellevue hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. Following the hit and run bike crash, police say Gettinger attempted to drive away from the accident scene but he soon ran into traffic. Police say he was arrested while attempting to run away. They also say that prior to striking the bicyclist, he hit a taxi cab that was stopped at a red light. Police arrested Gettinger and charged him with assault, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He was held on a $50,000 bond.
It was later divulged that Gettinger is the son of Robert Gettinger, a victim of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and long-time associate of Madoff. Gonzales, a deliveryman for the Cosmic Diner on West 52nd Street, has a wife and 3 children in Veracruz. Victims of hit and run accidents often have fewer resources for recovering sufficient compensation for their injuries. Witness statements and police reports are critical pieces of evidence in such an 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 traffic accidents 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.
If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.
