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.
January 27, 2020 News
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Wind turbine blade breaks off and crashes into car

New York – Alternative energy sources are becoming ever popular in the past years, leading to concern regarding public safety and potential improper maintenance issues. Only a few weeks ago a tall and powerful wind turbine in the Bronx suffered a dangerous breakdown. A blade from the wind turbine tower broke off and collapsed onto the parking area and road below. This has led to concerns by public safety advocates who decry the race to put together new technologies as fast as possible. Some claim that large companies and even some private investors have raced to build things such as wind turbines without proper safety practices in place, all in an effort to earn profits. They note that businesses have looked toward the profits without considering the hazardous condition that can be created, especially in residential and urban areas. Land is expensive and some real estate developers have looked toward new technologies such as turbines being placed in close proximity to homes, stores and parks. However, the potential for disaster with collapse, falling debris, faulty parts and poor safety practices is very real and must be considered carefully when planning and building such technologies. Cell phone towers have also been discussed as a potential health and safety hazard in residential areas according to specialists. Many zoning and health councils have discussed the potential of cell phone towers causing cancer and the debates continue. Some see the discussion of constructing wind turbines in heavily populated areas as yet another dangerous situation that needs to be addressed by city officials. They feel that accident injuries can easily occur if broken pieces of debris collapse and fall on a pedestrian or building or if it causes a car crash. Restrictive planning along with intense safety inspections and constant maintenance is necessary to prevent injuries or wrongful death. You can see this article for more details.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Bill Smith [License]

January 19, 2020 News
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Car recall announced due to dangerous defective part

Car safety experts are warning about a potentially deadly faulty part that was installed on some Mercedes-Benz cars. This has led to a product safety recall of these vehicles in order to try to repair the hazardous situation. The specific models of cars involved in the product recall have been determined to have used a faulty bonding glue that attaches the sunroof to the vehicle. The glue material has been shown to break down and can cause the sunroof to break off. Concerned car safety specialists say that this can cause a dangerous car accident if the sunroof goes flying at high speeds. It can hit another car or cause a pedestrian accident. It can also cause the driver of the car to lose control and crash, leading to accident injuries or even wrongful death. It is unclear at this point if any car crash incidents have been linked to this potentially dangerous product. See this article for further details about this car recall.

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

December 29, 2019 News
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Queens bus accident injures passengers

New York – MTA transit officials report that a New York City bus was involved in a bus crash this week. The motor vehicle accident (MVA) occurred when a car collided together with the bus. The force of the car accident caused the bus driver to apparently lose control. The bus jumped the curb and crashed into a wall. Multiple passengers in the bus were thrown about and fell during the collision. Trauma doctors note that this type of mechanism of injury increases the types and severity of injuries that can be suffered during the crash. They note that there are primary, secondary and tertiary impacts that can lead to carious injuries such as spinal injury, head injury with traumatic brain injury, broken bones or fractures and internal organ damage. This latter category can include liver laceration or a spleen laceration with internal bleeding or even a tension pneumothorax that can be life threatening. The other car involved in the car crash had most of the front of the vehicle ripped right off and crushed. Specifics about the injuries suffered by the accident victims are not available at the time of this report. You can see this article for more details about this MVA with injuries.

Image of bus accident for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Oran Viriyincy [License]

December 20, 2019 News
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Building facade collapse kills woman on Manhattan sidewalk

New York – Building debris collapsed down onto the sidewalk below in Midtown Manhattan just two days ago. A heavy section of facade apparently fell off of the face of the building and collapsed onto the pedestrians walking below. At least one section of rubble struck a 60-year-old woman, causing her to lose consciousness. She reportedly suffered a head injury with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the deadly accident. Emergency responders arrived to find the woman in cardiac arrest from the accident injuries. They believe the traumatic arrest was due to a skull fracture with massive bleeding in her brain. Emergency medical services attempted to resuscitate the injury victim but were unsuccessful according to witnesses. Her injuries were so severe that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene according to officials.

Citizens in New York City expressed concern for their safety when hearing about this tragedy. No one expects debris to suddenly fall from the sky. City safety inspectors from the buildings department had cited this very building’s owner for an apparently related safety hazard. Records show that this building owner was issued a ticket for improper maintenance of the building’s facade only around eight months ago. They apparently paid the fine but it is unclear whether the underlying hazardous condition was fully addressed. A safety law in New York City requires proper professional inspections of the facade of buildings every five years minimally in order to prevent a dangerous situation similar to this pedestrian accident. Building inspectors will continue their investigation into this tragedy to determine the cause of the accident with fatal injuries. In the meantime, a scaffolding was constructed around the building to prevent another immediate accident or wrongful death. You can see this article for more.

Photo of safety scaffolding for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: therealbridgetpalmer [License]

November 27, 2019 News
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Work injuries at site of construction collapse

New York – A scaffold collapse in Manhattan left two workers injured. The wounded workmen fell from the scaffolding as it collapsed according to reports. They note that one of the victims suffered serious injuries during the work accident. The other accident victim’s injuries were still being assessed but appear to be less life threatening. It is unclear whether the injuries were caused by the fall from a height or rather from being crushed under the falling construction debris. Investigators were also looking in to the cause of the construction collapse to determine if safety precautions were in place. Worker safety is supposed to be the highest priority for employers of construction and renovation companies. However, some employers have been known to take shortcuts in order to save time and money in safety equipment and training. It appears that there was an issue with the building and inadequate maintenance of the scaffolding according to reports. Improper construction or negligent maintenance, especially at a dangerous construction zone, can place the safety, health and lives of workers and bystanders at risk. Workplace accidents are a common problem, especially at construction sites that work with heavy equipment, tall ladders and scaffolds as well as electrical tools such as drills, saws and hydraulic devices. There are also complicating factors such as poor lighting, uneven or broken sidewalks and pavement, and unsteady flooring and walls or even railings and stairs. These hazardous conditions can lead to slip and fall accidents, broken bones, neck and back injuries, heady injury or even wrongful death. Read up more about this construction accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Richard Munckton [License]

November 19, 2019 News
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Single vehicle rollover accident kills one and injures two more victims

New York – The FDR Drive was the scene of a horrific car crash that involved a single vehicle. The driver of the car, an off-duty police officer from the NYPD, apparently lost control of the car and roller over. There was significant damage to all sides of the car and roof and the vehicle came to rest on top of the center median. Witness reports say that the accident occurred when the car hit the center guardrail but the exact cause of the collision is still under investigation. The off-duty cop who was driving suffered a severe head injury with traumatic brain damage or traumatic brain injury (TBI) according to reports. He died at the hospital after doctors and staff tried to resuscitate the car accident victim. Two passengers in the vehicle were ejected from the car and also suffered serious injuries. An off-duty fireman with FDNY suffered internal organ injuries but is expected to survive according to trauma specialists. In the meantime, a young woman passenger suffered a leg injury with a traumatic amputation of her foot. While she is also expected to survive, it is unclear whether or not surgeons were able to successfully reattach the severed limb. Police investigators are continuing their investigation into the details of the car collision in order to determine if there was reckless driving or speeding involved, in addition to whether or not drugs or drunk driving could have contributed to the crash. Mechanical failure of the car and road conditions are also factors that need extensive evaluation. Read this article and see the video for further details about the deadly rollover car accident.

Photo of unassociated accident for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Bob B. Brown [License]

October 25, 2019 News
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Construction work accident in Lower East Side of Manhattan

New York – A wall collapsed at a construction site this week. The construction accident left one injured worker fighting for his life after he suffered crush injuries. He had to be extricated from under the broken and fallen debris. Responders say that he had a leg injury with possible broken bones or crush fractures. Doctors in the hospital have reported that the injury victim is still in serious condition. A second construction worker suffered fatal injuries after he was trapped under the collapsed wall. It is believed that the wounded man sustained a serious head injury with traumatic brain injury. However, he may have also suffered internal injuries with internal bleeding.

Investigators have been researching the cause of the construction collapse. They will need to determine if negligence was involved, specifically to investigate the use of proper safety equipment. Employers are required to provide their employees with safety equipment such as hardhat helmets, goggle eye protection, harnesses and reinforcement scaffolding when needed. In addition, they are supposed to provide extensive safety training to their workers in order to prevent such work accidents. This particular building was undergoing renovations at the time of the collapse. It is not fully clear but it appears that the workmen were attempting to reinforce the wall at the time of the wall caved in. however, it is unclear why the workers were standing right underneath an unstable wall. You can find out more about this construction accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jose Saez [License]

October 18, 2019 News
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Multi-vehicle car crash injures several people

New York – Injury victims from several vehicles involved in a car accident were taken to the emergency room in Brooklyn last week. According to witnesses, the driver of one of the cars was speeding and possibly even ran through a red light, causing the collision. The investigation into the exact cause of the motor vehicle accident is ongoing. However, sources say that at least one pedestrian was struck by a car during the series of events that took place during the accident. The pedestrian accident left that victim with multiple injuries, including possible broken bones and spinal injury according to one assessment. The other accident victims were occupants of the vehicles according to police and the extent of their injuries is still unclear. Doctors say that none of the injuries are life threatening but can lead to permanent injuries and disabilities. Further examinations will be necessary to determine further. Trauma specialists say that some injuries can be quite obvious and present themselves immediately following the collision. However, other wounds can take weeks or even months to fully identify. These include herniated disc problems, nerve injury, ligament and tendon damage or even some fractures. In addition, there are the emotional and psychological injuries and trauma of such an accident that can take a good deal of time to develop and treat. Examples of this can include post-traumatic stress disorder and adjustment disorder. See this article shares more about the speeding car accident that possibly ran a red light.

Illustrative photo credit: Jenny Starley [License]

September 27, 2019 News
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Electric bicycle accident leaves one dead and another injured in Central Park

New York – An intersection in Central Park was the scene of a pedestrian struck by an electric bicycle. The cyclist apparently lost control of his e-bike and crashed into an elderly pedestrian and then both fell to the ground. The electric bicycle driver suffered a severe head injury with traumatic brain injury. He subsequently died of his bike accident injuries according to doctors. Reports show that the injured bicyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. According to New York City laws, it is actually illegal to ride an e-bike or electric scooter on city streets and sidewalks. Pedestrian and public safety activists explain that the speed and recklessness of those driving electric bikes and scooters poses a danger to public safety. They contend that this type of accident is all too common and must be prevented. The pedestrian hit in this case suffered injuries but is expected to survive. However, activists say, the next accident victim may not be so lucky. In the meantime, the rider killed in the accident demonstrates in vivid reality the dangerous situation created for everyone involved. Many cases have been documented of riders texting while driving or talking on a cell phone while driving. These distracted drivers can cause horrible accidents and injuries due to the speed and problems of bicyclists who weave in and around traffic and pedestrians.

Proper statistics are hard to determine but there seems to be an easygoing attitude when it comes to these electric bicycles and scooters. Many riders treat them as children’s toys while they are capable of very fast speeds and cause injuries and wrongful death. Many drivers can be seen not holding on with both hands or maintaining control and concentration over their driving. It is still unclear whether or not this specific driver was guilty of being a reckless driver or who had the right-of-way at the time of the crash. Further details of this pedestrian accident and debate over the legalities of these electric vehicles are discussed here.

Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: osseous [License]

September 18, 2019 News
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New York City Police accident causes injuries in Brooklyn

New York – Borough Park in Brooklyn was the scene of a New York Police Department (NYPD) car crash involving one of their police cruisers. The police car accident occurred while the police officers were responding to an emergency call for help. Reports show that a second vehicle slammed into the officer’s vehicle during the late evening collision. The police car jumped the curb and then struck two pedestrians and finally hit the storefront of a nearby building. The cause of the on-the-job accident is unclear but specialists note that the officers’ injuries should fall under their worker’s compensation insurance. Workers, especially those at high risk for getting injured at work, are dependent on their worker’s comp insurance provider to help them. Meanwhile, the other injured pedestrian patients in this police accident are possibly covered by a car insurance policy. However, it can sometimes be unclear when it comes to a pedestrian accident. In the case of a pedestrian struck, the injury victim may be denied care from multiple sources. Unfortunately, some injury victims find it difficult to obtain their healthcare services from the insurance companies. Many seek the assistance of a personal injury lawyer or workman’s comp attorney for assistance in getting their injuries cared for and covered. For further details about this work accident with injuries please see this article.

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