Distracted Walking or Negligent Driving: Which Killed Elizabeth Karnicki?

Southfield, MI (Law Firm Newswire) September 2, 2015 – Elizabeth Karnicki was killed when her head was run over by a duck boat in Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her horrified husband watched, unable to assist her.

The Karnicki family allege there was negligence involved in her death and have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia, the parent companies of the tourist operation that ran the duck boat tours and the builder of the boat.

Karnicki, 68, was apparently crossing the street at Arch and 11th streets on May 8 when the duck boat hit her, crushing her head and body.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family alleges she was legally crossing the street at the time of the accident, but due to several large blind spots common with vehicles the size of a duck boat, the operator performing two roles at once as driver and tour guide and a badly set up traffic signal, Karnicki was struck and killed. It also stated that she had the right of way when entering the crosswalk, but that the light changed while she was still crossing.

According to eyewitnesses, however, Karnicki was using her iPad while she was crossing the street during a red light when the duck boat had the prevailing green light, a fact the boat company reiterated in a statement issued after the accident. Witnesses told police that Karnicki walked out onto the street while distracted with her mobile device and that the duck boat driver was not at fault. Ultimately, the police concluded the Ride the Ducks boat was not at fault.

Although the duck boats are large, featuring a 2.5-ton chassis, and the driver sits 10 feet from the bow, which may cause blind spots, they are considered to be relatively safe.

“It is unclear how this case will be resolved based on the two different versions of the story, but Mr. Karnicki may be interested in knowing that in order to alleviate any financial difficulties he and the family are experiencing as a result of Karnicki’s death, securing a lawsuit loan is an option open for his consideration,” said Daren Monroe, a Michigan-based Litigation Funding Corporation representative.

Applying for pre-settlement funding may be done online or by calling Litigation Funding Corporation directly and speaking to a highly trained representative. Plaintiffs are required to have an attorney representing them and have the proper paperwork regarding the case filed when they make an application for a lawsuit loan.

It usually takes less than 48 hours once an application has been approved for the pre-settlement funding to arrive in the plaintiff’s bank account. From there, they may take care of all of their urgent expenses, such as funeral and burial costs and keep current with their other usual monthly bills. Having a lawsuit loan in the bank means being able to start the healing process while moving toward a settlement or having a case heard in court.

Learn more at http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com