Manhattan Hair Stylist Killed by Construction Truck while Crossing Street

Kreindler & Kreindler filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against multiple construction and trucking companies working on the Second Avenue Subway on behalf of the family of a woman who was killed when she was run over and dragged by a dump truck in Manhattan. 

The victim, Laurence Renard, a 35-year-old fashion stylist, was a pedestrian crossing First Avenue at 90th Street about a block from her home on January 24, 2011. Ms. Renard was walking within the crosswalk and with the green light when she was struck by a dump truck weighing more than 21,000 pounds and driven by construction worker Diego A. Tapia-Ulloa, one of several defendants in the case. Ms. Renard was mortally wounded and Mr. Tapia-Ulloa was arrested on the scene and charged with multiple counts, including failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in the crosswalk and driving with a suspended license. 

Kreindler’s investigation determined that:

• the driver was operating the dump truck with a suspended license
• the trucking company had inadequate hiring, training and supervision in place
• the driver was using an unauthorized trucking route through residential streets
• the general contractor knew that unauthorized routes were being used 

The case settled for a significant, confidential amount.

It was handled by Kreindler partners Dan Rose and Jim Kreindler.