Author Archives: Morrison Wagner

September 25, 2013 News
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Actor suffers injuries during an accident at work

New York – A Broadway show actor was injured at work when his leg was trapped in a piece of stage equipment. The trap door machine mechanism closed on the victim’s foot prematurely and caused the accident. The injured man was rescued from the device when workers cut through the stage set and called for an ambulance. Reports from the ambulance crew show that the accident victim suffered a severe leg injury including broken bones. He was rushed to a nearby trauma center in midtown New York City for evaluation and treatment of his injuries. Co-workers and bystanders expressed concern regarding the safety of the equipment and machines being used on the show. Some pointed out several previous accidents with injuries on the same set since they began work on the show. Previous accidents on the set have included one worker suffering rib fractures, another man sustaining herniated discs and other spinal injuries, a woman who suffered a head injury with concussion and yet another actress who fractured bones in both wrists. The management who run the show insist that human error caused this most recent accident but others believe that equipment malfunction is to blame. Work safety advocates and union members have asked for further investigation into this accident since they believe that more safety precautions need to be set in place. They worry that more accidents and injuries or even deaths are just around the corner if safe practices are not demanded of the employer producer of the show. Proper inspections and maintenance is necessary to keep the machinery in proper working order and to prevent malfunctions. Workplace safety activists warn that this specific show has been the scene of too many accidents and it has come time for the bosses in charge to take safety more seriously. While some may not think of this type of work setting as being a place with dangers and injuries, advocates say that the hazards are real and need to be addressed. More about the injuries and problems with this show can be found here.

Photo by Youngking11 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

September 18, 2013 News
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Long Island man killed during car crash while walking his dog

New York – A pedestrian who was walking his dog on a suburban street in Nassau County, Long Island was struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident. The injured man was rushed to the closest hospital emergency room but doctors were unable to save his life. The victim’s accident injuries were so severe that he went into a traumatic cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in the hospital. According to reports from the car accident scene, the man driving the vehicle hit the pedestrian victim and his dog just after midnight. He apparently fled the scene of the accident, which is a felony when the car accident involves personal injuries. A New York accident attorney notes that the charges can be even more severe when the car crash kills the victim. In this case, police say that the driver who caused the accident initially left the scene but then returned for an unknown reason. Police arrested the driver and report that he tested negative for alcohol or drugs. These factors can improve the chances that the man can avoid more serious criminal charges, such as drunk driving. However, according to the accident lawyer, this does not protect the driver from a civil lawsuit such as a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

It will now become the job of investigators to determine what caused the deadly accident. Common causes that will need to be further investigated include the man being a distracted driver due to talking on a cell phone, texting while driving and eating while behind the wheel. Experts also explain that the driver may have become tired and fell asleep behind the wheel, possibly more likely due to the hour at which the motor vehicle accident occurred. Public safety advocates say that drivers are responsible to pull over to the side of the road for a rest period if they are tired. Driving while tired can be a form of negligence that endangers the safety of everyone else on the road. Reports show that the man had just finished work in a local hospital when and was on his way home when the car collision occurred. Police may need to speak to his co-workers and his supervisor in order to determine more about the man’s behavior prior to getting into his car to drive home. Check out more details about this deadly car accident here.

Photo by U.S. Navy photo by Tom Watanabe. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

September 11, 2013 News
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Pedestrian accident in Brooklyn causes multiple injuries

New York – A two-vehicle car accident caused injuries to at least seven victims, many of them pedestrian bystanders. Police report that the car crash began when one the of the vehicles hit an SUV truck in what appeared to be a routine accident in a busy Crown Heights intersection. One witness noted that the first car caused the accident when he ran through a red light at the dangerous intersection. However, the SUV then jumped the curb and was pushed into several pedestrians who were standing on the sidewalk. That vehicle then hit a large metal pole and came to rest after slamming into a light post. The initial pole collapsed and was run over by the SUV, possibly causing some of the injuries. Witnesses explained that accident victims were scattered everywhere and ambulances were immediately called. One of the injured pedestrians apparently suffered a partial foot or leg amputation during the accident. She was rushed by paramedics to a trauma center hospital for treatment and emergency surgery to try to repair the injury. One of the drivers in the accident suffered a head injury and also required emergency treatment. Further details regarding the injured victims and the nature of their injuries have not yet been made available. Investigators are also still looking into the cause of the accident and who was at fault for causing all of the injuries. Meanwhile, local activists complained about the lack of safety and careful driving in this dangerous area of Brooklyn, NY. Some have asked for increased police presence and stiffer punishments for reckless driving. Public safety proponents say that a reckless driver, especially one that causes a serious accident with injuries, must not be allowed to drive again. At the very least, serious consequences but be in place in order to protect the safety, health and property of innocent bystanders.

A similar truck accident in Brooklyn occurred only 2 weeks ago. In that motor vehicle crash, the driver of the truck hit a car and that car was then pushed up onto the sidewalk. It then slammed into a pole and then finally stopped. In the meantime, the truck then hit 3 additional cars. Several crash victims were injured in that accident according to reports. Safety advocates say that these accidents are proof that police, lawmakers and city engineers need to do more to prevent accidents and punish dangerous drivers. Check out further details about the recent Brooklyn car crash here.

Photo by Coolcaesar at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

September 02, 2013 News
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Misdiagnosis of Lyme disease being discussed by New York senator

New York – Many people, including doctors, automatically associate tick bites with Lyme disease, especially when the bite is followed by fever, headache, and body aches or pain. However, current research shows that this can easily lead to a misdiagnosis of the patients true problem. A senator from New York is pushing for more training of doctors and nurses to make them aware of the various tick-borne diseases that are possible beyond just Lyme. Healthcare professionals are trained to diagnose illnesses of all sorts by working through a list of possibilities, known as a differential diagnosis. However, a top New York City medical malpractice attorney explains that some physicians prematurely jump to conclusions, leading to a missed diagnosis or other medical error. A doctor is more likely to correctly diagnose and treat a patient when all appropriate possibilities have been considered. More importantly, the correct diagnostic tests must be ordered by the doctor in order to avoid a medical mistake. The wrong diagnosis will usually lead to the wrong treatment of the patient’s condition and often associated complications. The complications from the wrong medical treatment can be due to side effects from the treatment used, as well as from failure to treat the actual illness. The current legislative effort has the goal of spreading awareness of other possible diagnoses besides Lyme when it comes to tick bites, including Powassan virus and Boriella miyamotoi. The most common treatment of antibiotics with doxycycline does not work on these other diseases, so a doctor error in one of these cases would lead to failure of the treatment. Some healthcare workers and health insurance companies have claimed that efforts such as this may just lead to defensive medicine and higher cost of care. However, patient advocates note that it is the responsibility of doctors and nurses to study their field of medicine more thoroughly and stay up-to-date of the current research and literature. They say that hospitals and national medical societies should carefully create protocols in order to assure that doctors order the right studies in order to avoid misdiagnosis as well as unnecessary medical testing. Proper health care requires diligence and hard work in order to avoid negligence and failure, according to activists. Read more about other tick-borne diseases and the push for more research here.

Photo by Subconsci Productions (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbconsci/361586876/) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

August 27, 2013 News
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New York City cab accidents cause serious injuries

New York — Transportation safety activists are up in arms this week as two taxi accidents occurred within days of each other on city streets. The most recent of these car crashes involved a cab that jumped onto a busy Manhattan sidewalk and hit several pedestrians. The injured pedestrians included a woman tourist that suffered severe injuries of both legs. One of her feet was amputated during the car accident according to doctors. Bystanders tried treating the injured woman until ambulance crews and paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, trauma surgeons in the hospital were unsuccessful in reattaching the severed foot. According to reports, this cab accident victim was the most seriously wounded during the crash. However, at least two additional injury victims were treated in this pedestrian accident according to emergency responders. The extent of their wounds were unclear and the patients were rushed to the hospital for emergency evaluation and treatment. Witnesses say that the cab driver hit a bicyclist and some report that it was due to road rage. The taxi driver claimed that the accident was due to his losing control after the bicycle rider started banging on his cab. Police investigators were still looking into the details of what caused this motor vehicle crash. Apparently, the taxi driver has a poor driving record with several violations and tickets, including one for running a red light. Safety activists in the city expressed concern since this was not the first alleged road rage accident involving a NYC cab this week. In an unrelated taxi crash, two cab drivers were allegedly fighting for a customer fare and the car jumped the curb, hitting a construction scaffolding. In that taxi accident, one of the cars also hit the side of the building and caused damage. Activists pointed to the reckless driving behavior of many drivers in the city and are demanding more concrete actions to protect citizens. They warn that police and officials must do more to ticket aggressive drivers and suspend their driver’s licenses. Some believe that police should even impound their cars and arrest the most serious offenders, including those convicted of road rage crashes. Otherwise, safety advocates say, we can all expect to continue seeing serious accidents and injuries or even deaths on New York’s roads. You can find out more about the pedestrian accident involving the taxi driver and tourist here.

Photo by Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

August 19, 2013 News
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Child injured coming off amusement park ride

New York — A young boy suffered severe leg injuries when he tried climbing down from a roller coaster ride in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. The boy’s leg was injured when the roller coaster car ran over it and crushed the leg against the tracks below. He was taken from the scene by an ambulance crew and brought to a hospital emergency room for treatment of the leg injury and an apparent head injury with lacerations to his face. Reports from the scene show that the victim of the accident was easily able to slip out of the safety device and fall from the ride. Witnesses of the accident say that the amusement park ride was geared specifically for children but some feel that the proper safety precautions to protect young kids were not in place. They explained that child safety locks were not installed to make sure an accident or injury like this would be prevented. Some parents expressed concern over the dangers of these types of rides that are commonly found in amusement parks and fairs. They complain that workers and owners need to make sure that children are safe even if they get scared in the middle of the ride. Consumer safety advocates note that more regulations and procedures need to be followed to ensure that a child can’t slip out of seat belts or safety bars. In addition, staff should be more attentive to anyone standing up or trying to come off of the ride prematurely. Emergency brakes or safety devices should be installed and staff trained how to use them in order to prevent a fall like this. Updates about the calamity show that the boy, who is from Queens, NY, was not the only injured victim from the ride. His sister also sustained a leg injury and was taken to a different nearby hospital for medical treatment. It was unclear how the girl was hurt but some believe she slipped and fell while trying to help her brother. Investigations by city officials were initiated to determine if the ride had been properly maintained and inspected, as required. However, a top attorney specializing in accident and injury law reported that a private, more thorough investigation may be needed to determine if there was any negligence that contributed to the accident. Roller coaster accidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon, as can be seen from this recent roller coaster injury. Activists say that owners and management of amusement parks, fairs and carnivals need to continue working to ensure the safety of the public. Find out more about this amusement park accident here.

Photo by MamaGeek at en.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

August 11, 2013 News
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Manhattan woman falls from apartment balcony

New York — A woman fell from the porch of her 16th floor apartment on the East Side of Manhattan, NY. The fall victim was reported to have been leaning on the railing when it broke away and caused her to plummet off the balcony. Reports show that after falling, she landed on the scaffolding of a construction site below, causing fatal injuries. Ambulance and rescue crews responded to the scene and tried reviving the woman from her accident injuries. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful in resuscitating the injury victim from a traumatic cardiac arrest. Trauma specialists believe the woman died of internal bleeding from the fall. They note that this type of fall may have caused a head injury with skull fracture but further testing will be necessary to determine if that was the case here. Investigators subsequently arrived on the scene to determine why the railing collapsed. According to building inspectors, the railings and balconies of New York City’s high-rise buildings are required to undergo safety inspections on a regular basis. Records show that this specific apartment building did file a safety inspection report for their porches and terraces. Accident investigators will now need to determine if the inspector missed a hazardous condition that led to the railing breaking under the woman’s weight. In the meantime, building department officials have warned residents to stay off of the balconies of their apartments until they are properly inspected according to current safety standards. Certified inspectors should personally investigate the safety of all aspects of the balcony and rails. Landlords are responsible to repair or replace any broken hardware or masonry in a timely fashion. A top accident lawyer in New York explains that the owner and management company may be held responsible for injury or death in a case of negligent maintenance. Read more about this deadly fall accident here.

Photo by Werner Vermaak (originally posted to Flickr as Immobilized Patient) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

August 04, 2013 News
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Doctors concerned about glucose test strip errors

Federal officials have issued a warning about potential medical mistakes that can occur from using a particular blood sugar test strip. The glucose test strips, commonly used by patients with diabetes, have been recalled due to incorrect results that have been occurring from their usage. The strips are used by placing them into an electronic glucose monitor with a small sample of the patient’s blood placed onto the strip. The lab test results that come back from the electronic monitors have been showing errors, usually indicating abnormally high sugar levels by mistake. According to reports, the medical-grade diabetic strips have been distributed in multiple regions, including the New York area. Consumers and medical professionals alike have expressed concern regarding the medical errors that may come from this dangerous situation. Patients and doctors make health care decisions based on the results obtained from the test, such as how much medication to take or even which medicine to prescribe. A doctor’s mistake can easily occur if the test result comes back high and the doctor or patient doesn’t properly recognize the signs and symptoms of high or low blood sugar. The product recall comes with a warning that medication errors or prescription mistakes must be considered for all patients that have been using the affected batch of incorrect blood test strips. Some have warned the public that serious adverse effects, including illness, disability and wrongful death can all be associated with the use of damaged medical supplies. The danger involved, especially for those with diabetes or risk of sugar abnormalities, is a serious one that should be discussed with your doctor or health professional. Consumers, doctors and nurses are advised to read up more about this medical product recall here.

Photo by Biswarup Ganguly (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

July 31, 2013 News
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Driver causes accident while going wrong way on New York bridge

New York — One person was killed while several others were injured in a five car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge this past Wednesday. According to state police, the motor vehicle crash occurred as a result of one of the men who was driving the wrong way on the bridge. They say that the wrong-way driver was travelling south in his SUV on the northbound roadway when he crashed into a car. The other car then rolled over and killed one of the passengers and seriously injuring the driver victim. Three other vehicles were subsequently involved in the pile up during the accident, causing multiple injuries. Reports show that at least one of the accident victims suffered a spinal injury while a trauma specialist notes that further evaluation will be necessary to determine any other injuries to the other people. It has been pointed out that some injuries from a motor vehicle accident do not become fully apparent until days or even weeks after the trauma. Accident investigators were continuing their search for the entire cause of the car crash, including why the man would have driven the wrong way on the highway. Highway safety activists have wondered if proper signs and preventative devices were in place to avert such a dangerous condition. They note that other high-profile car accidents have occurred on New York roads due to drivers going the wrong direction on the highway over the past few years. Some have blamed these accidents on a combination of dangerous drivers that should not have been allowed to drive and confusing on and off ramps. They warn that there is often a lack of signs or other barriers to prevent drivers from entering the highway in the wrong direction. Safety advocates have been challenging the federal, state and local authorities to deal with the hazardous condition, noting that it is their responsibility to do everything possible to prevent accidents and injuries. They exclaim that highway accidents are often more serious, causing more injury and death that other crashes due to the high speeds involved. Investigators say that motorists are more likely to be speeding on an highway and this very often contributes to accidents. Read up more in this article about the recent deadly wrong-way car crash.

Photo by Mohsan Dabiri-e Vaziri (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

July 23, 2013 News
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Amusement park accident involving dangerous roller coaster

A woman suffered a deadly fall from in a roller coaster accident this past week according to media reports. Investigations into the cause of her falling in the accident are ongoing but witnesses believe that the safety bar was broken. One bystander reported that the accident victim complained about the restraint system, saying that the mechanism wasn’t working properly just before the roller coaster car left the station. According to a specialist who inspects amusement park rides, safety issues and deaths like this most often occur when someone is negligent or makes a mistake. Community activists warn that better staff training and safety warnings are needed to prevent injuries or wrongful deaths at fairs and parks. Some worry that park owners don’t take safety seriously unless someone gets hurt or killed. Local safety advocates say that there are similar dangers lurking in the parks and fair grounds of the New York and New Jersey area. They note that local and state laws need to be scrutinized to make sure that public safety is maintained to the highest standards and to prevent accidents and injuries on rides like this. Various methods should be employed to prevent hazardous conditions that can lead to a fall or other accident. These include proper design of the rides, skilled installation of the machinery, vigilant inspections of the equipment according to manufacturer specifications and regular preventative maintenance. In addition, to prevent human error, extensive initial training and ongoing refresher training is needed for all workers involved with the rides. What concerns some observers in this serious accident is that the victim herself complained about the ride’s safety harness possibly being broken but no one inspected it before starting the ride. Some have questioned if this constituted negligence and whether or not negligent maintenance was involved. You can read more about the safety of amusement park rides here.

Photo by NeoUrfahraner (Self-published work by NeoUrfahraner) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons