Author Archives: Morrison Wagner

Workers hit by a car in deadly hit-and-run accident in Nanuet

New York – Two workmen were injured on the job in a horrific car crash. The pedestrian accident occurred ‎when the driver of a car hit the pedestrians with his car while they were working. The workers were ‎collecting garbage when the driver struck the accident victims but then fled the scene of the collision. ‎One of the injured workers suffered critical injuries including a possible traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ‎was initially found to be unconscious by emergency responders. He was rushed to the hospital but ‎emergency procedures and care were not enough. The injury victim subsequently died of his wounds ‎in the hospital. The second work injury victim was also treated on the scene by medical personnel and ‎transferred to the emergency room for further care. Police report that they have since found the ‎driver that fled the scene after causing the accident. It is unclear whether speeding or drunk driving ‎were involved. Check out this article for more details about this hit-and-run car accident. ‎

Illustrative Photo by U.S. Navy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Redefining accidental injuries, fatalities and responsibility

An important but under-recognized movement has developed to truly improve ‎safety and prevent “accident injuries.” For way too long designers, manufacturers and society ‎leaders have ignored the well-known dangerous situations and hazardous conditions that exist ‎in the modern world. This sometimes manifests by poor road design, dangerous construction ‎site planning or manufacturing of faulty products. Once someone – or many people – have ‎been injured or were killed by poor design or negligent implementation, the people ‎responsible for the tragedy write it off as an “accident.” Many refuse to take any blame of ‎negligence and refuse to take the opportunity to declare a faulty product recall. More ‎importantly, they don’t make full efforts to redesign their product or re-do their design to ‎prevent further injury or death. It is no secret that some roads and highways are dangerous ‎and are more prone to car crash or pedestrian accidents. Likewise, some high-intensity ‎electrical products are known fire hazards. Yet others pose a serious risk of choking hazards or ‎other similar dangerous situations that need to be corrected. The concept of a wrongful death ‎lawsuit developed in an attempt to hold offending parties accountable for their actions or ‎even inactions. Personal injury lawsuits are likewise used as a tool to not only compensate ‎injury victims but to also create change in the world of those who design, develop and ‎manufacture consumer products or facilities.

A recent book ‎was written about this topic, bringing to the forefront the idea of how to make necessary ‎changes before tragedy strikes. A top New York law firm has a long history of fighting for the rights of people ‎injured in a “car accident” that may not have actually been exactly just an accident after all. ‎This team has a tried a true history of fighting to change the reality and protect victims of faulty ‎products, work injury, slip and fall injury or even medical malpractice. The time has come to ‎make sure that designers, manufacturers and companies are held responsible for their actions.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Billie Grace Ward [License]

Protocol, equipment failures led to deadly fire in Bronx apartment building

New York – Fire officials say that their initial investigation into a fatal apartment fire has shown significant equipment ‎failures. In addition, protocols meant to prevent such tragic disasters were not properly followed. The ‎deadly fire in a residential housing building in the Bronx claimed the lives of at least 17 fire victims. Of ‎these victims, reports show that 8 of them were children who died in the fire. Investigators note that ‎the initial cause of the accidental fire was a faulty malfunctioning heater that was left on after ‎residents left the apartment. The portable electric faulty heater apparently shorted and sparked, ‎causing it to catch on fire. Public safety experts say that sale of such a dangerous product should be ‎banned, as it easily can contain defective parts. The use of such a well-known fire-prone heating ‎device has long been discouraged, especially when used in a room that in unattended. Safety ‎protocols say that such a device should be turned off when one leaves the area in order to prevent a ‎dangerous situation that can lead to melting, malfunction and fires. ‎

Spread of the deadly smoke from the fire was caused when the automatic closing arm of the door was ‎broken. That equipment failure led to the quick envelopment of the building in smoke that suffocated ‎multiple residents. Firefighters reported that they found several of the smoke inhalation victims ‎collapsed in the stairwells. Safety experts say that building codes normally include venting of potential ‎smoke from a building fire out of the stairwells. They explain that this is important to provide a mode ‎of egress from a multi-story building fire like this one. See this article for more information and videos ‎about the equipment malfunctions and errors that led to these multiple fire deaths.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit via Mike Goad [License]

Alleged hit-and-run driver caught after striking pedestrian

New York – A hit-and-run accident left a woman suffering multiple serious accident ‎injuries, including fractures, according to police officials. The pedestrian accident details were not fully ‎clear but witnesses saw an elderly man stop at the scene to apparently offer assistance. However, the ‎senior citizen then left the scene of the accident without waiting for police or ambulance personnel to ‎arrive. This did raise some suspicions but police were left with little to go on other than an accident ‎victim with multiple broken bones and injuries. Further investigation of the car crash scene revealed ‎broken remnants from the hit-and-run crash suspect’s vehicle. The police investigation eventually led ‎to identifying the older driver who had been seen at the site of the car collision. It turns out that he ‎was not just a Good Samaritan, as had been initially assumed; instead he is now believed to be the ‎man who was driving and caused the pedestrian collision. The suspect was brought in for questioning ‎and has been accused of leaving the scene of an accident with personal injuries as well as filing a false ‎insurance claim. The insurance fraud part of the case does not shield the insurance company or the ‎man personally from a personal injury lawsuit. You can read more about this pedestrian crash here.

Photo of unassociated accident scene for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Mathew Ursua [License]

‎2021 Medical malpractice statistics :: New York has second highest incidence of lawsuits

New York – Statistics accumulated from a survey in 2021 show that medical malpractice and negligence ‎lawsuits are significant and concerning, especially for New Yorkers. The ‎survey was conducted by a professional medical information and education organization. The statistics ‎gathered showed that New York State had the second largest volume of medical malpractice lawsuits. ‎These included all types of malpractice claims, including failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis, failure ‎to treat a disease or condition, medical or medication mistakes and surgical error. The category of ‎surgical mistakes has been known to include operating on the wrong patient or on the wrong limb or ‎organ. However, a well-known and described surgical malpractice situation is when the doctor forgets ‎or leaves a foreign object inside of the patient. Some of the healthcare malpractice cases described ‎have led to wrongful death and are also evaluated in this survey. Other cases can lead to paralysis, loss ‎of use of function of part of the body or organ as well as infections. These statistics and the volume of ‎health-related malpractice incidents have patient safety specialists concerned. They warn that ‎continued development and following of safety protocols and education are essential to protect ‎patients. You can check out more medical malpractice statistics here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jennifer Morrow [License]

Is there a dangerous side effect from the Johnson and Johnson Covid19 vaccine?‎

Experts at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clearly promote vaccination against the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. In fact, real concern has been expressed at delays in making life-saving vaccines available to ‎those at risk and in need. One of the difficulties for the average citizen is deciding not just whether or not to vaccinate, but also ‎which. There are currently three popular vaccine manufacturers providing their ‎injections in New York State – including, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). In some ‎research, the latter has been associated with a possible clotting disorder that has led to the death of ‎several people having received the single dose of J&J’s injection. Further research in ongoing to ‎determine if the vaccine was in fact responsible for the deadly condition and whether or not it is safe ‎to continue using. However, it seems that the CDC has gone so far as to prefer the former two ‎vaccines over the J&J one. This apparent change in stance seems to be related, at least in part, to ‎concerns of safety. Some patient safety advocates have expressed concern about attempts they feel ‎have covered up the dangers of the vaccine. Others have gone even so far as to accuse medical ‎malpractice. Any delay in sharing of relevant data can lead to delayed diagnosis and even wrongful ‎death, according to experts. Public health specialists explain that we are in a dynamic situation that ‎requires a constant flow of accurate and timely information in order to determine the proper course of ‎action. Any attempt at a company or manufacturer at altering data or delaying critical information from ‎being shared can lead to catastrophic outcomes for patients. It is still too early to determine if this is ‎the case but, in the meantime, it is “buyer beware” until investigators can out the true side effect ‎profile and analyze the company’s data.‎ See this article for more.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Nenad Stojkovic [License]

New York State’s Mandatory Personal Injury Protection Insurance

New York – One the essential components of car insurance in NYS is the personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. It is mandatory to ‎have at least some basic level of this insurance as part of your car insurance in this state. Many don’t ‎truly understand the meaning of this insurance unfortunately until they’re in a car accident with ‎injuries. A sudden car crash inevitably takes you by surprise and the injuries can vary from minor to life ‎threatening in mere moments. The insurance coverage provided for accident injuries covers both the ‎driver and passengers in the vehicle during the collision. It likewise may also cover you if you’re ‎involved in a pedestrian accident, but this should be discussed with a professional, dependant on ‎details of the motor vehicle accident (MVA). It is important to note that a covered injury from an MVA ‎is paid for regardless of whether or not you have health insurance. Additionally, this coverage is ‎helpful when the other car or truck is driven by either an uninsured driver or underinsured motorist. A ‎top New York accident lawyer notes that your PIP insurance ‎can guarantee that your injuries and medical treatment will be covered, up to the policy limits, ‎regardless of who caused the accident. Some injury victims find it necessary to file a personal injury ‎lawsuit in order to help compensate them for their MVA injuries and help get the needed treatment ‎and payments. You can read more details about New York’s PIP insurance requirements here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jason Burwen [License]

Police officer injured in on-the-job pedestrian accident

New York – A Long Island police officer was injured at work when he was hit by a car on the highway. The cop, working for the Suffolk County ‎Police Department, was working on the side of the highway investigating an unrelated car crash. His ‎investigation soon turned into a second car accident when a pick-up truck crashed suddenly into his ‎police cruiser, then crushing into the policeman. The injured officer suffered a severe head injury with ‎traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the pedestrian accident. The TBI included a traumatic intracranial ‎hemorrhage according to officials. The accident victim was taken in for emergency brain surgery to ‎reduce swelling from the brain bleed and he remained on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. He ‎was also evaluated for neck and back spinal injuries as well as additional wounds from the truck ‎collision. Work injuries like this need to be covered by workmen’s compensation insurance and not ‎usually by traditional health insurance in New York State. The injured worker will certainly require long-‎term care and monitoring if he is able to be successfully weaned off of the ventilator. Details of his ‎work accident injuries will become more clear as time progresses. To read more about this police on-‎the-job accident at work, see this article.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: longislandwins [License]

Record numbers of bicycle accident deaths in New York

New York – Work safety researchers have compiled statistics on NYC bicycle accidents and pedestrian ‎accidents. They note that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of ‎accident deaths during the past year of COVID-19. Theories as to why the increased bike crash and ‎pedestrian injuries have occurred during this time period abound. Amongst the discussions is the fact ‎that collisions caused by speeding have risen and the sheer increased numbers of bikers on the road ‎have been clearly documented. Often these injured bicyclists were delivery men and women who ‎were involved in a car accident while at work. The bike accidents usually cause personal injury but all ‎too often end in wrongful death according to reports. Worker’s compensation insurance is supposed ‎to cover injuries sustained in an on-the-job accident such as this but some injured workers find it ‎difficult to obtain proper care. Some work injury victims find it necessary to get help from a worker’s ‎comp lawyer that can assist them in filing paperwork and sometimes even filing a injury lawsuit. ‎Further information about the increased bike accidents and deaths is available here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons [License]

Multi-vehicle accident injures multiple motorists as well as pedestrians

New York – Multiple accident victims were left in the wake of a car crash in the Bronx. The car ‎accident apparently started when a driver tried speeding away from police and then slammed into two ‎other cars and several pedestrians. The pedestrian accident caused three injury victims to be rushed ‎to the hospital with varying wounds after they were hit by the car. Occupants of the other cars also ‎suffered various injuries from the motor vehicle collision and required emergency care in the trauma ‎center. The suspected injuries have included head injury with traumatic brain injury, neck and back ‎pain as well as possible broken bones and fractures. Witnesses note that the initial vehicle that caused ‎the car crash rolled over and landed on its roof. The driver of that car was arrested by police and will be ‎charged with crimes that led to an accident with personal injury. You can read more about this roll-over ‎car collision here. ‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Bugeater [License]