A New Jersey Pedestrian Accident Leaves Family Devastated

Less than a week after Christmas, the dreams the family of a New Jersey special police officer had for the young man were shattered. Only two days after Christmas, two young special police officers were hit by a driver in an SUV while patrolling. Both officers were injured in the pedestrian accident.

While the one officer only had to spend a night in hospital, the other passed away two days after the accident. It is reported that the driver of the SUV received a number of traffic citations. The citations include failing to yield to a pedestrian and reckless and careless driving. No criminal charges were filed immediately after the accident, and it remains to be seen if any will be filed following the officer’s death.

The 22-year-old deceased victim was supposed to graduate in 2015 from Bergen Community College. He would have obtained a criminal justice degree. According to the father of the deceased victim, he planned to join the police force on a full-time basis after his graduation. He started working as a special police officer in November last year after his graduation from the police academy.

Apart from any traffic citations or criminal charges that may be pursued against the 62-year-old driver, the fatal victim’s surviving family retains the right to file a wrongful death claim against the woman. This claim, as well any personal injury claim filed by the injured officer, would be separate from the workers’ compensation benefits that are typically provided in these circumstances. Under New Jersey law, both will be entitled to a monetary judgment upon a proper showing on negligence that is found to have been the cause of the pedestrian accident. will have to prove the negligence before being awarded compensation. Any financial relief awarded in civil court may ease the financial burdens caused by the tragic car wreck.

Source: nj.com, “Reckless driving among citations for Cliffside Park woman in officer’s death“, Myles Ma, Dec. 29, 2014