A 63-year-old immigrant from South Korea was killed by an SUV in Dumont on September 25 as she was crossing a street near her dry cleaning business.
According to NorthJersey.com, Eun Ok Jo, who became an immigration success story after moving to the country 30 years ago, was walking at East Madison Avenue and Howard Street shortly after 9:30 a.m. when she was struck by an SUV driven by Lucy Camargo-Cortes of River Edge.
Jo was the owner of My Town Cleaners on Grant Avenue. NorthJersey.com reported that she arrived in the U.S. three decades ago with her husband Kyung Ne with a few thousand dollars and opened the dry cleaning business.
“She worked so hard all her life,” Hyun Jo, 37, her son, told NorthJersey.com. “Just when she was about to reap the fruits of her labor.” Hyun said that his mother was a few years away from retirement. The dry cleaning business remained temporarily closed after the car accident.
Camargo-Cortes was driving an SUV with diplomatic license plates. An investigation into the accident is being conducted by the Dumont police and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Officials said Camargo-Cortes was cooperating with authorities.
Aside from death, pedestrian accidents can cause catastrophic injuries. Many pedestrian accidents occur because of driver inattention or distraction, and other issues like speeding or impaired driving. About 150 pedestrians have died each year on New Jersey streets since 2004, accounting for more than 25 percent of all traffic fatalities in the state, according to the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
KGG lawyer Barry S. Kantrowitz assists victims and family members of pedestrian accidents. Contact us toll free at (800) 711-5258 to schedule a free initial consultation or complete the form on this page to let our skilled attorneys review your case.
KGG’s Corner: According to NHTSA, in 2011, there were 4,432 pedestrian accident deaths nationally.
Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C. – Rockland County Injury Lawyers