Category Archives:News

Welcome to the news from the New York Injury Lawyer blog. Here we present interesting and relevant news stories involving our areas of specialty, including personal injuries, slip and falls, medical malpractice and brain injury claims. Have an interesting injury story? Tell us.
March 01, 2022 News
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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

February 13, 2022 News
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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.
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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]

February 04, 2022 News
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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]

January 16, 2022 News
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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]

January 01, 2022 News
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‎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]

December 20, 2021 News
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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]

November 30, 2021 News
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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]

November 19, 2021 News
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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]

October 26, 2021 News
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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]

October 18, 2021 News
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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]