New York — Three workers were injured in a work accident when the scaffold that they were standing on gave way. The victims were 17 stories up, on the side of a building in Manhattan, doing some brick repair work. The scaffolding broke away and the workers were left hanging from their harnesses while the Fire Department of New York and New York Police Department worked to rescue the victims. Apparently, the 2 agencies did not coordinate their emergency rescue efforts and this has some rescue experts concerned. They say that rescue efforts in the case of an accident like this must be coordinated so as to prevent further injury to both the accident victim and the rescuers alike. Independent actions by the police and fire departments can conflict with the efforts of the other agency and lead to serious injury or death. In this case, the police’s emergency service unit tried rescuing the workers by repelling down from the roof. However, the fire department conducted a rescue from one of the windows nearby. Most concerning to New York City officials, is that this power struggle between who is responsible and who is in charge during a life threatening accident, was supposed to have been solved after the problems encountered in the emergency response to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This leaves many observers concerned that well over 10 years after the terrorist assault on New York City, the police and fire commanders have not learned their lesson. The communication and coordination problems that were exposed in 2001 should have been dealt with by now in order to help save more lives, and prevent causing injury and death during an accident. An accident lawyer in the city notes that these types of problems occur at all kinds of accidents, like car accident and construction accident scenes. It is the responsibility of the emergency responders to do their job right and remain professional at all times, otherwise they may be liable for the outcomes due to their negligence. Find out more about this high-rise rescue here.

New York — There were several injured children following a school bus accident involved in a car crash on the Queens Midtown Expressway. The accident victims were brought to a local New York emergency room for evaluation of their injuries. Reports show that the car cut off the bus, causing the motor vehicle accident. A second school bus was involved in a bus accident in Queens the next day. In that motor vehicle crash a car caused a rear end accident when it hit the bus suddenly. Several child accident victims from that crash were taken to a hospital on Long Island for treatment of their injuries. Parents and safety advocates are concerned about the increasing number of car accidents and school bus accidents that can cause serious injuries to children. Some concerns they have include negligence of drivers who pass a school bus that is stopped with red lights flashing, careless drivers who drive recklessly near a bus and bus drivers who are not trained well enough or don’t drive safely. Some question whether negligent drivers are properly monitored and punished to prevent additional accidents and injury or even death. Recently, bus accidents in New York have continued to rise and some blame reckless drivers that are hired by negligent bus companies. Find out more about the risks of bus accidents here.

New York — A dangerous fire in a large New York City retail store was apparently started when someone negligently threw away a burning cigarette butt. Fire department investigators report that the cause of the fire was a lit cigarette that was thrown down into a crack in the sidewalk. The burning cigarette landed in the basement and started a large fire that caused injuries to several people before being extinguished. The hazardous condition caused by the pedestrian who threw away the cigarette is not uncommon according to some safety experts. They say that smokers often discard their cigarette butts without properly putting them out. This can easily lead to a building fire, brush fire or garbage fire and cause serious injury or even death. A personal injury lawyer in New York City notes that some of the negligent smokers who cause a fire and injury can be identified by the use of security cameras that are becoming increasingly common. These closed circuit television cameras may document the dangerous condition and help police and investigators. A burn victim may be able to identify the perpetrator and file a negligence personal injury lawsuit with this information. Read more about this recent fire caused by negligence here.

New York — One construction worker was killed in a construction accident this past week in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. The workman was crushed when part of the concrete building they were working on demolishing collapsed unexpectedly. Two other workers suffered serious injuries in the work accident that occurred inside of university construction site. One accident victim suffered a head injury and both victims were listed in serious condition due to their injuries. Recent reports show that the injury victims also suffered spinal injuries when the debris fell on them. Some public advocates have expressed concerns regarding the demolition company employer involved in this wrongful death case. They say the owner and the company have a history of ties to the mob and wonder if there’s proper safety oversight. A worker’s comp lawyer in New York City explained that some employers don’t take the proper safety precautions to ensure the health and safety of their employees. In some cases, this may constitute negligence and puts the worker at risk of serious injury or death. Some injured workers find it necessary to obtain a lawyer in order to help them obtain their benefits and even file a negligence lawsuit against the employer. Find out up-to-date details about this work accident here.

New York — Earlier this morning a food delivery truck hit a car in a serious car accident with injuries. The truck rolled over during the crash, occurring on a quiet Brooklyn, New York street. The truck possibly ran through a red traffic light and a New York City bus was forced to swerve out of the way of the truck accident. The bus then hit a building near the corner of the intersection. The front of the bus suffered significant damage during the crash and shattered some windows. Rescue personnel had to remove some of the doors in order to gain access to some of the injured victims. Multiple ambulances, fire fighters and New York Police Department responders came to the scene to treat at least 12 accident victims. All injured crash victims were taken to local hospitals in Brooklyn for treatment. A New York accident law firm explained that many serious accidents, like this bus accident, occur at intersections due to driver error. Sometimes this can be related to a driver running a red light and other times it is due to driver distraction. Trauma experts note that injuries from this type of accident can range from relatively minor bumps and bruises to more severe broken bones, neck and back injury or even a head injury and death. Details of the investigation are available here with a video of the accident scene.

New York — A construction crane that collapsed in an accident in 2008 apparently used cheap replacement parts that were made in China. Two accident victims, both construction workers, were killed during the construction accident collapse. The owner of the crane that was involved in the deadly accident was accused of trying to save money by quickly and cheaply fixing the crane before putting it back in service. He is on trial for criminal actions in the case, with the prosecution saying that this is a case of negligent maintenance that led to the deaths of two innocent victims. They say this was due to the greed of the owner in using cheap equipment and ignoring serious miscommunication issues when trying to get the crane back to work too quickly. According to a crane mechanic, one of the important replacement parts was built by a Chinese company and included notes that were written in Chinese. The mechanic and crane owner did not know what these notes meant but ordered and installed the part regardless. The engineer was never asked to review the documents. According to a New York personal injury lawyer, this may constitute negligence and opens the owner and mechanic up to both criminal and civil lawsuits, especially since this led to two wrongful death cases. Also during his testimony, the mechanic revealed that the overseas company making the replacement part even told him in an email that they had concerns regarding the quality of their welding abilities for this specific part. Miscommunications in the wording and reading of that email, as well as several others, apparently added to the confusion. The mechanic did not forward the email to his boss and the part was used anyway. The mechanic has already pleaded guilty in his criminal case and is now testifying in the lawsuit against his former boss. Further investigation in this construction site accident and deaths is underway. Check out this article for more details.

New York — A 41-year-old woman was crushed to death in a Manhattan elevator accident several months ago. The New York City buildings department immediately started an investigation into the accident, seeking to find a cause of the woman’s death shortly after an elevator repair company had worked on the elevator car. Investigators have now reported that the elevator repair company and technician created a hazardous condition by bypassing a safety system. The workman turned off a safety switch that is supposed to prevent the car from moving while the doors are open. However, the worker was apparently negligent, according to officials, by not properly restoring the proper functioning of that safety system. The maintenance worker claimed that he had fixed the safety switch before completing his work but the system apparently did not re-engage properly. The investigation report also showed that the maintenance company was negligent by not having the elevator car re-inspected after work was completed. The buildings department suspended the maintenance company’s owner’s license. Reports show that the worker responsible for the negligent repair job was fired recently. Some public safety advocates say that the dangerous condition created by the maintenance contractor and the technician is inexcusable and is what led to this woman’s wrongful death. Advocates say that negligent maintenance is responsible for too many accidents, injuries and deaths in New York every year. Read up on more details regarding this elevator accident here.

New York — The residents of an apartment building in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York have banned together to file a negligence lawsuit against the owners and real estate management companies in charge of their building. The apartment building caught fire after the residents say that the owners and management company were allegedly negligent in required safety maintenance. They contend that the building landlord and management agency should have repaired faulty wiring and other dangerous condition issues that led to the building catching on fire. One victim died, 33 fire victims were injured in the fire and several hundred were left without a home after the incident. A top New York City injury lawyer explained that negligent maintenance that leads to a deadly fire can leave the guilty parties open to large lawsuits, including for wrongful death, personal injury and post traumatic stress conditions. This may not just mean that the landlord has to fix obvious problems that are reported. In fact, some preventative maintenance is required when it comes to safety and health issues. Fire safety standards and codes do change and some older buildings need to be retrofitted and fixed if the landlord wants to comply with the most up-to-date safety recommendations and rules. Find out more about the gross negligence lawsuit in this apartment fire here.

Computerized medical and health records can help prevent some cases of medical malpractice or hospital error. Most of the world has been moving over to computerized record keeping for many years now. The medical world has been making the switch as well. There are many reasons for adopting electronic medical recording, including documenting proper patient care to prevent medical malpractice lawsuits and medical errors. However, some healthcare advocates say that there are doctors, nurses and entire hospitals that are hesitant to make the switch. Safety advocates say that this puts patients at increased risk for illness and injury due to a myriad of medical mistakes that can occur with paper records, including sloppy handwriting, forgetting a patient’s allergies or simply a mistake in copying lab results. However, a New York medical malpractice lawyer notes that adding technology into hospitals and healthcare can actually put patients at higher risk for medical malpractice injury if not done correctly. Reports have shown that doctors and nurses can become too distracted by cell phones, texting, social media and the internet in general. This can lead to a medical error and mistakes, such as a doctor that forgets to complete a task or a nurse that neglects taking care of her patients while they are distracted. Some advocates say that this is similar to a driver that is talking on a cell phone or texting while driving – it can easily lead to medical negligence. Find out more about the pros and cons of mobile devices in healthcare here.

Recent reports highlight the dangers of a popular baby seat that consumer safety advocates say present a dangerous condition for babies. The infant seat has been associated with many accidents and injuries, including 33 baby skull fractures. The same infant seat was recalled only several years ago due to safety concerns that could lead to consumer injury. A statement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that the seats were dangerous when used on an elevated location, such as a table or chair. At the time, quite a few children were injured by falling from the seats, including several serious head injuries. However, some concerned advocates note that the seats have also been linked to severe head injuries even when used on the floor, as directed. Some feel that the manufacturing company is negligent in continuing to produce the dangerous seats without redesigning them first. They also say that the U.S. government should push the manufacturer to recall and fix, or replace, the seats that are already in use. Reports show that many personal injury lawsuits have been filed against the company that makes the seats. You can find out more about the push to recall the accident prone seats here.