Family Home Damaged by Two-Car Crash

The home of a family in Niskayuna, New York was damaged under unusual circumstances when a crash moved from the street into their house. At 2 pm in the afternoon of July 3rd, Paul Avery and his wife were backing their Volkswagen sedan out of their driveway on Albany Avenue. While doing so, a Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by John Becker of Schenectady came down Albany and, although trying to avoid hitting the Avery’s vehicle, could not do so. The Ranger hit the side of the Volkswagen, and the speed at which the Ranger was traveling sent the two cars into the side of the home of Jasmin Ruiz, across the street from the Avery’s home. Ruiz was home with her two children when the impact occurred, and while she reported that the accident shook the entire home and woke her two-year-old up from a nap, no one was injured.

Paul Avery was trapped in his vehicle, in part by the airbag. While neighbors at the scene of the accident were able to cut the airbag to allow Avery to move, emergency personnel ended up having to cut off the roof of the car to extract Avery. He and Becker were taken to Albany Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Becker has now been charged with multiple claims as a result of the accident, including driving at an imprudent speed, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, driving out of ignition interlock restriction, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. Police report that alcohol was not a factor in this crash, and that Becker’s excessive speed was responsible. The damage to the home did not threaten the structure, and the family may continue to occupy the home. Ruiz told reporters covering the accident that she had long feared an accident of this nature occurring, due to the speed at which drivers travel down their street. Neighbors described being uncomfortable letting their children play near the street, due to the speed of local traffic.

Some accidents come out of nowhere, and leave you wondering what to do next. The accident described above may result in complicated insurance claims and legal issues, since the driver who caused the crash was uninsured, thus leaving only the Avery’s insurance policy to cover the parties’ damage. Even before you’re forced to file a lawsuit, filing claims with insurance companies and making sure that you’re compensated for all your losses can involve long fights and negotiations. If you or your family have been injured in a car accident, speak with a skilled New York attorney to determine what steps to take. For a free consultation from anywhere in the Albany, Poughkeepsie, or Kingston regions, contact Basch & Keegan at (845) 251-4545.