New York — A woman underwent a routine hernia repair surgery in a Bronx, NY hospital last year but has never recovered. She remains in a nursing home with medical complications and her family reports that she has suffered severe brain damage because of medical malpractice. The victim’s family contends that the surgeon did not properly perform the surgery and that there was negligent care during her hospital follow up as well. They explain that the surgical wound developed into a large hematoma due to the negligent treatment and then became infected in the hospital but was not properly treated. The woman apparently had to undergo a further surgery to treat the surgical infection but not before she developed a severe bed ulcer. The patient’s daughter notes that her mother was doing well before the surgery and was planning on coming home soon after the surgery. She has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital and the doctor due to her concerns of negligence. Patient safety advocates note that the same hospital in the Bronx was where another patient victim died during surgery recently. In the latter case, a woman died while undergoing surgery to donate one of her kidneys. The otherwise healthy patient was trying to donate her kidney to her own brother when the doctor cut her aorta. She suffered from severe bleeding due the laceration of her body’s largest artery and apparently died shortly thereafter when her heart failed. The surgeon and hospital were apparently expecting a medical malpractice lawsuit in that case and have filed for a fast track settlement. Read up more about this woman who died during surgery here.

New York — Two teens in New York State were attacked by a pit bull dog that was on the loose. The men were attacked by a dog as they walked down a street on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The assault occurred unprovoked according to witnesses. The dog was not on a leash and was roaming freely when it attacked the boys. Reports show that there were 2 pit bull dogs that chased the victims but only one of the dogs actually bit them. The injury victims each suffered bite injuries and required emergency treatment in the hospital. After attacking the teens, the dog then charged at a police officer and tried assaulting him as well. The officer had to shoot and kill the attacking dog in order to protect himself from injury. Police investigators were unsure of who the dog’s owner was but are continuing the investigation. A New York personal injury lawyer warned that the dog owner can face serious criminal lawsuits and civil personal injury lawsuits if found negligent in properly securing the dogs. Pit bulls that attack can cause serious injuries, including lacerations, broken bones, internal injuries and even death. Most areas have leash laws for dogs in order to avoid this type of problem and allowing a dog to run free may be considered negligence. Pit bull dogs are often associated with a dangerous dog attack, as also seen in this dog attack that injured a young boy of only 9 years old. Rottweiler dogs are another breed of dogs that many say are dangerous and can attack. Experts say that dog owners must always obey leash laws and can consider safety and training courses like this dog class in Staten Island, New York in order to prevent assaults and injuries or deaths from their dogs.

A young man of only 18 years has been found guilty of texting while driving and subsequently causing a serious car crash. The man was a teenager – 17 years old – at the time of the deadly accident. He was found to have sent nearly 200 SMS text messages on the day of the accident. More importantly, the man had sent several of those text messages within a short period of time right before the car accident. Investigators contended that the teen was a distracted driver by sending the SMS messages and they contributed to his negligence in causing the crash. The motor vehicle accident occurred as the man’s car swerved into oncoming traffic and caused a head-on collision with another vehicle. The 55-year-old accident victim who was driving the other car died due to his injuries from the collision. In addition, the teen driver who caused the accident also had a female passenger. That passenger suffered injuries in the accident and had to be hospitalized. The guilty verdict against the negligent driver was based on a recent law against driving while texting in that state. The guilty driver will serve jail time and likely will face civil lawsuits, including a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit from the other victims and their families. The victim who died in the accident survived in the hospital for 18 days before dying of his accident injuries. A top accident lawyer explains that the lawsuits against the distracted driver may also include damages of pain and suffering of both the victim and family. Find out more about this dangerous accident and the trial verdict here.

New York — Federal investigators in a deadly bus accident have released their report showing the bus driver was at fault. Reports from the investigators and accident victims, along with a digital reconstruction of the motor vehicle accident show that the bus was speeding shortly before the crash. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say that one of the major contributors to the bus crash was that the bus driver was fatigued from not sleeping enough in the days before the accident. Safety rules for bus drivers require the drivers to get more rest and not drive more than 10 hours in a day. Officials note that the bus company involved in this accident has a history of problems, including discrepancies in the amount of hours their driver worked in a given day compared to what they recorded in the log books. The bus veered off to the side of the highway and rolled onto its side, striking a street sign and the guardrail. The motor vehicle crash killed 15 victims and many other were injured in the accident. Safety experts explained that the combination of the speeding bus and the driver being fatigued created a dangerous condition that led to the accident, injuries and wrongful deaths. The NTSB report also recommends changes and safety engineering options to prevent further serious accidents that can leave more victims injured in an accident. Check out this article for more on this breaking bus crash investigation.

New York — A dump truck struck and killed a young woman in Manhattan just before the weekend. The pedestrian accident occurred at about 1:30 in the morning. Witnesses report the accident was caused when the truck driver didn’t stop to wait for the accident victim to cross the street, despite the fact that the woman had the right of way. She was crossing at a crosswalk and had the crossing light in her favor when the truck accident occurred. Police investigators noted that the driver who caused the hit-and-run accident drove off without even checking on the victim’s condition. The investigation into the negligent driver’s identity and whereabouts continues. A top New York accident attorney explains that when the driver is caught, he or she will likely face several criminal and civil lawsuits. In the meantime, advocates note that the streets of New York City are especially dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists with this driver still at large. Find out more details about the deadly accident and the victim here.

New York — A hardhat construction worker was killed and 4 other workers were injured when a building collapsed last year in Brooklyn, NY. Federal investigators found that there were several safety violations that led to the construction accident. Some assert that the construction company was negligent and created a dangerous condition when it ignored basic safety standards and engineering rules. The construction company has been fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for not correctly stabilizing the dangerous building structure before continuing work. They explain that the company management was aware that the construction site was dangerous since the lower floors of the building were unstable. Despite this hazardous condition, the workers were told to pour concrete on the top floors of the building, causing the building collapse. The crash caused metal, concrete and other construction debris to fall on workers below, crushing them. One worker was killed in the accident and safety advocates in New York say that this wrongful death and injured workers were due to the management’s negligence. Another building that was under construction collapsed in Brooklyn, New York just a month ago. That accident also killed one worker and injured 4 more. A top personal injury lawyer warns that construction companies must exercise more caution and diligence to prevent additional accidents.

New York — Safety inspections of several area bridges over busy highways, roads and waterways have shown dangerous problems and deterioration. Inspectors note that poor maintenance and repairs of the bridges have left them broken and falling apart. In fact, one studied bridge in Westchester, NY has lost large pieces of concrete that fell onto the road underneath it. Public advocates for roadway safety say that this may be due to negligent repair and can easily lead to a car accident or pedestrian accident. Some warn that if safety repairs are not made soon, an accident can lead to personal injury or even wrongful death. The neglect of these bridges may constitute negligence, especially now that safety inspections have documented their deficiencies. The state and local authorities can no longer claim ignorance if their negligent maintenance of the roads and bridges leads to an accident, injury or death. Check out a list of some of the dangerous bridges here.

New York — A serious car accident in Brooklyn, NY left one man dead yesterday. Reports show that the young driver of a BMW car apparently lost control and caused the head-on car crash. His car hit a minivan and caused fatal injuries. Multiple ambulances, police, fire department and rescue personnel responded to the crash scene. Ambulance and paramedic personnel treated three injury victims and took them to local hospital and trauma centers. The driver of the minivan was declared dead at the hospital while the other accident victims survived. Investigators were analyzing the motor vehicle accident scene to determine the cause and see if any criminal charges would need to be filed. It was unclear if alcohol or any other substances were involved in this deadly accident. An accident lawyer in New York said that often police file tickets and criminal charges against the driver who caused the accident only after a more thougrough investigation into the cause of the accident. A car crash like this may lead to citations for reckless driving, driving while impaired or even negligent homicide. A civil lawsuit may also need to be filed against the driver of the car for the wrongful death and personal injuries caused by the car accident. Find out more about this fatal accident here.

New York — A woman who was speeding along a Bronx highway crashed into a highway divider last week, killing 7 accident victims. The car accident occurred on a road that runs next to the Bronx Zoo and the car fell into the zoo grounds. Reports show that the same roadway has been the site of other serious car accident incidents and this has safety experts worried. Advocates say that a highway that has a history of accidents may need to be re-engineered or repaired in order to prevent further motor vehicle accidents. In fact, some accidents are due to negligent engineering or maintenance of the road. The car rolled off the highway and fell approximately 50 feet during the crash. Further investigation will be necessary to determine if the woman was driving recklessly and that is what caused the accident, or if the accident was due to a problem with the highway design. Human error can also be a cause in a situation like this, according to experts. Catch the updated reports on this deadly car accident here.

New York — Three cars were involved in a car accident in the Midtown section of Manhattan, New York City. The first vehicle apparently hit a second car that was stopped at a red light. The first car then ran into four pedestrians that were walking on the sidewalk. That car then rolled over and crashed into a tree. Meanwhile, the second car was pushed into a taxi cab with passengers, causing yet another car accident with injuries. Police reports show that at least eight accident victims were taken by ambulances to local New York hospitals and trauma centers for treatment of their accident injuries. Safety advocates worry that this multi-vehicle car collision may have been caused by reckless driving and illustrates the dangers of careless driving. Some note that pedestrian safety is also at stake, not just the safety of other drivers and passengers on the road. This pedestrian was killed in a car accident in Queens, New York while she was actually on her way to a transportation meeting about pedestrian safety. She was hit by a car after getting off a city bus and crossing the street. More details about the three vehicle car accident in Manhattan are available here.