Outdoor dining is increasingly becoming the norm in New York. Many diners now see eating outside as a safer option than inside a crowded restaurant. Unfortunately, eating outdoors is not without its own unique dangers. A recent two-car collision injured two people who were enjoying an outdoor dinner at New York restaurant as well as one of the drivers.
The accident happened around 9:30 p.m., when two vehicles collided near the restaurant’s outdoor dining area. One of the two vehicles then plowed through the wooden barrier around the dining area, injuring the two victims. It is not clear which vehicle the third injured party was driving.
Although crashes like this have not been all that common in the past, they have been happening more frequently because of the recent outdoor dining boom. In 2019, there were only four accidents involving vehicles and outdoor dining areas in the entire country. There have already been 20 reported incidents from Jan. 2020 to August 2020 alone. At least one of those also happened in New York, when a driver plowed into outdoor diners on July 21, 2020.
Most pedestrians probably understand that there is a chance of being struck by a vehicle, but this same thought may not cross people’s minds as they enjoy dining outdoors. Unfortunately, there are still many careless drivers who make eating outside dangerous. Victims involved in this type of car accident might not even realize that they can still seek compensation for injuries even though they were not in a vehicle or crossing the road. Doing so is possible though, and it is usually accomplished by successfully pursuing a personal injury claim to completion.