Who knew that getting hit by a bicycle could be so harmful? An actress who was critically hurt when a cyclist hit her in a Brooklyn park is now suing New York City for $3 million, claiming ‘negligent, careless and reckless’ traffic enforcement was to blame. More details after the jump!
Actress Dana Jacks, 37, was in the hospital for 25 days after she was hit by cyclist David Sonenberg as she walked through Prospect Park last summer on June 11.
She said that she suffered ‘brain trauma and face and skull fractures that kept her hospitalized’ for nearly a month.Â
The New York Post quotes relatives saying that for two of those weeks she was in critical condition before being downgraded.
This is not the first legal action to stem from the June accident, as both the victim and the cyclist have exchanged personal suits.Â
Ms Jacks’ husband Forrest Cicogni spoke with MailOnline about the suit against the city, saying that they are aiming for the larger goal of public safety.
‘I think the amount of money is irrelevant,’ Mr Cicogni told MailOnline. ‘I think getting the city to focus on the issue is what we want.’
While the $3million lawsuit is certainly the heftiest to come out of the accident, it is not the only one: the couple filed a suit against Mr Sonenberg last July.
‘That was about dealing with the incident,’ Mr Cicogni told MailOnline. He also said that previous reports that Mr Sonenberg counter-sued were false and the couple has never been sued by the cyclist.Â
While the extent of Ms Jacks’ injuries may be significant, the incident is not unique as Prospect Park was also the scene of three other accidents that left pedestrians injured.
Prospect Park, located in the heart of Brooklyn, is a haven in the busy borough, but in recent months residents have been very vocal in their complaints about excessive bike traffic and speeding cyclists.
Mr Cicogni said that there was little to predict the June 11 accident, and it wasn’t as if there were any visible changes to traffic patterns in the park.
‘I think its a long-standing problem,’ he said.
‘I don’t think that the cyclists have been hitting people more often than norma, but I don’t know the exact statistics.’
This talk comes amid city-wide concerns about bike safety as accidents with pedestrians have resulted in several deaths throughout the past year. Since August, five people were killed in cycling-related accidents in Brooklyn.
Ms Jacks is a stage actress and she most acted in an Off Broadway ensemble of Our Town.
On her personal website, she said that she would ‘most likely find her hiking throughout Prospect Park with her dog Scout’.
