s

Tag Archives: injury victim

March 10, 2017 News
0

Takata airbag manufacturer pleads guilty to fraud

The world’s largest vehicle airbag recall was sparked after, analysts say, the Takata manufacturer fraudulently claimed that their airbags were safe. However, the company now admits that they knew for many years that there was a defective part that could cause the device to explode. This, in turn, could lead to a more serious and deadly injury from a car accident. The company has produced tens of millions of dangerous airbags that have been installed by motor vehicle manufacturers around the world. Everything from cars to SUVs to trucks have dangerous airbag components made by this company and have been recalled. The guilty plea by Takata comes along with an agreement to pay a hefty $1 Billion in fines and penalties. However, this money is not earmarked to go to the injury victims and families of victims killed in a car crash that may have been affected by the hazardous situation. A top injury law firm in New York explains that this doesn’t shield the manufacturer or others from a personal injury lawsuit. In fact, it has been noted that some of the car companies allegedly knew about the dangerous condition posed by the defective airbag problem but continued to install them anyway. This opens those car makers to injury and wrongful death lawsuit as well, according to experts. Product liability laws describe the actions that should be taken by all involved to ensure that consumers aren’t injured by a product that is known to be potentially dangerous. You can find out more about this product recall and repercussions here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Robin Corps [License]

January 13, 2017 News
0

Train derailment in Brooklyn causes mass casualty incident

New York – Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) company officials confirm that there were over 100 injury victims from this week’s train accident. Reports show that the LIRR train derailed in Brooklyn during morning rush hour as it pulled into the station. Inspectors from the transportation and safety bureaus were unsure as to what caused the crash but they note that the train overran a stopping block. They explain that the bumper is there as a safety design to prevent accidents and collisions. However, it is unclear if the accident occurred due to speed, driver error, broken equipment from negligent maintenance or even human error. Emergency responders from the scene transported the crash victims to various hospitals with wide ranging injuries, including spinal injuries such as neck and back pain, head injury, dental injuries and suspected broken bones. Drug and alcohol testing was underway for the train engineer, according to officials with the National Transportation Safety Board. You can read more about this derailed train here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York [License]

September 01, 2016 News
0

Another boat crash with serious injuries, this time in Manhattan

New York – Tuesday evening’s boat accident on the Hudson River left multiple injury victims scrambling for their lives. A ferry boat from NY Waterway backed into a group of kayakers. At least five of the kayakers in the group suffered various injuries during the collision. Doctors in the emergency room reported that one of the most severely injured boaters had suffered a partial arm amputation. Other injury victims from the accident had wounds ranging from a head injury with a concussion, to rib fractures and a punctured lung. The head injury victim had reportedly lost consciousness, an indication of possible traumatic brain injury, according to neurologists.

The initial investigation revealed that the ferry boat captain followed protocol by sounding his horn before backing up. The kayak crews apparently did not move away in time but it is unclear as to why. Officials now believe that sun glare prevented the captain of the ferry from seeing the much smaller kayaks even though the kayakers tried raising their paddles to make themselves more visible. Further investigations are underway to determine if any negligence contributed to this serious accident with injuries. So far, police say that the captain was not drunk driving. However, several other ferry boat captains and companies have stepped forward to relate how dangerous the situation has become on New York’s busy waterways. This boat collision is reminiscent of the boat accident that occurred on Long Island less than a month ago. Read more on the recent Manhattan boat injuries and investigation here.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Walter Burns [License]

June 15, 2016 News
0

Elevator accident leaves injured worker with arm amputation

New York – An elevator repairman was working on a recently installed elevator when a terrible accident occurred, injuring the worker. According to witnesses, the technician was in the middle of repairing the broken down elevator when something came loose. The man began screaming for help and a bystander called 911. Police, fire rescue and emergency medical services units raced to the scene and rescued the injury victim, treating him for an amputated arm and a leg injury. The wounded man was taken in to surgery in an attempt to reattach the severed limb. Trauma specialists explain that many times an amputation can be reattached but the victim can still be left with severe pain and suffering as well as a permanent disability.

An investigation into this case is underway, with building code and work safety officials looking into the cause of the accident. They will need to look at the training and safety equipment provided as well as the protocols being followed to determine if any negligence took place. In addition, they will need to see if any equipment failure or negligent maintenance of both the elevator and tools could have led to this horrific work injury. See this article for more details.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Aaron [License]

May 07, 2015 News
0

Long Island gas station fire causes multiple injuries

New York – A closed gas station in Nassau County, NY was the scene of a dangerous fire that injured at least four people this week. Fire department officials explained that three workers were injured while doing construction renovation on the gas station’s fuel tanks and one fire fighter suffered from dehydration while working at the scene. They note that the gas tanks caught on fire when fumes from residual gas sparked into flames. According to reports, the gas station was closed and the fuel tanks were being removed by an environmental and construction company. It is unclear as to why the station was closed and who was responsible to make sure that the gas tanks were empty and safe. Safety inspections will be necessary to determine if the owner of the property, as well as the employers of the injured workers, had followed proper protocols to ensure the health and safety of the public and their employees. The town mayor of Freeport explained that the workmen were taken to the hospital for multiple burn injuries and the fireman was treated in the emergency room as well. Further details about their injuries and recovery are unavailable at this time. However, trauma specialists note that the nature of this work accident can leave the injury victims with permanent disabilities, preventing them from returning to work or even their normal lives. These can include inhalation burns, physical disfigurement and emotional injuries. Worker’s comp insurance should cover the cost of treatment of their injuries but some victims find it necessary to seek legal advice regarding their rights. See this article for further details about these fire victims and injuries.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Loco Steve [License]

December 24, 2014 News
0

MTA bus accident kills elderly pedestrian in Brooklyn

New York – A pedestrian accident in East Flatbush left the victim dead and the concerned public asking questions of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Police believe that the nearly 80-year-old man was walking in or near an intersection when a city bus ran him over. Sources say that the bus driver failed to yield to the pedestrian and knocked him down. An ambulance and paramedics responded to the accident scene and treated the injury victim. However, his injuries were so severe that the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was arrested and charged with causing the fatal accident. Outcries have emerged from public safety advocates for increased bus and traffic safety in New York City. They explain that some bus drivers are too aggressive and don’t slow down for pedestrians, bicyclists or even other cars. This can create a serious hazard, especially when dealing with a large bus on busy streets. Some have pointed out that city and MTA officials have long known about the need for more training and increased penalties for dangerous drivers and speeders. They have expressed the hope that the police and city will start to take the dangerous condition seriously to avoid another bus crash and wrongful death in the future. Further investigation will be necessary to determine the safety training and driving record of the specific driver in this case. Experts say that bus accidents in the city are too common and can injure both passengers of the bus as well as other motorists, if not dealt with soon. Commuters have also complained about drivers who speed off too soon after picking up passengers, causing them to slip and fall while trying to get to a safe seat. Additional information about this bus crash is available here.

Illustrative photo by Chris (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

July 31, 2014 News
0

Heavy glass window falls, injures 3 in Manhattan construction accident

New York – A workman and two pedestrians were injured on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk this past Thursday. The wounded victims were hit by large broken pieces of a glass window that crashed down from an office building above. According to investigators, it all started with a construction accident inside the building that was undergoing renovation work at the time. Workers were hard at work when either a piece of machinery or scaffolding apparently crashed into the window, cracking it and sending heavy chunks of glass slamming onto the sidewalk below. One of the injury victims was a worker who was taken to the hospital for treatment of an unknown leg injury. At least one of the injured bystanders had suffered a head injury according to witnesses of the pedestrian accident. She was also taken by ambulance to the trauma department of a nearby emergency room for emergency treatment.
Public safety advocates have explained that the accident requires further investigation to determine if all necessary precautions were taken by the construction company to ensure the safety of the area. This includes worker safety to prevent a work injury as well as an accident that endangers the health and lives of bystanders. Officials say that laws and regulations are in place to prevent injuries and deaths from these types of preventable accidents. However, some have complained that workers and employers take dangerous shortcuts all too often, leaving innocent civilians at risk for serious injuries or wrongful death. Some activists report that particular construction bosses and workers have been guilty of outright negligence that led to an accident. It usually falls upon the buildings department and agencies such as OSHA to monitor worksites and prevent these types of accidents. See more about this construction injury here.

Photo by Borofkin (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

January 14, 2014 News
0

Boy rescued after falling into broken manhole in Brooklyn, New York

New York – A 10-year-old boy fell into an open manhole in a busy intersection of a city street earlier today. Various reports show that the manhole cover had broken but it was unclear as to when or how that occurred. The young boy fell into a hole while crossing the street but apparently slowed down his speed as he grabbed onto the walls and a ladder. Some telephone company workers nearby rushed to the accident scene and helped rescue the injured boy with their ladder. Some reports explain that the open hole had already been reported but the cover had not yet been repaired or replaced. The injured victim was taken to the hospital emergency room for treatment of his injuries. New Yorkers have expressed concern over what they describe as negligence by utility companies and the city in maintaining safe streets and sidewalks. They explain that manholes, sidewalk grates and construction sites are left broken or in disrepair on an alarmingly regular basis. Potholes, cracks and protruding tree roots are other dangers that pedestrians encounter on a daily basis. Others warn that businesses and even private homeowners sometimes ignore their responsibility to keep their property safe and free of trip hazards. They describe how store workers often leave metal doors that lead down to storerooms below the sidewalk wide open for extended periods of time. Sometimes the workers will place a chair or even a traffic cone nearby but rarely will the dangerous hole be properly secured, according to reports. Neglect of this sort puts the public at risk, according to accident prevention specialists. This is especially true during the snow, ice and rain during the winter months. Constant vigilance, forethought and repairs are necessary to prevent injury from these types of fall accidents and dangerous conditions. See this article for more about this morning’s fall victim.

Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

December 02, 2013 News
0

Train accident in Bronx, New York with fatalities and injuries

New York – A train derailed in a deadly accident yesterday involving a Metro-North train on the Hudson line. The train crash left four people killed so far and dozens injured. The injured victims had to be extricated by rescue crews and were triaged on the scene before being transported to hospital emergency rooms in New York City. The train was scheduled to stop in Grand Central Terminal but wrecked before arriving in the station for an unknown reason. According to officials, the cause of the accident is still under investigation with reports showing that the speed limit on that section of the track was supposed to be 30 miles per hour. Crash investigators were analyzing all evidence to determine if the engineer was speeding at the time of the derailment. They will also need to examine the possibility that the crew could have been drunk or using drugs or even taking prescription medications. Experts note that a drunk driver in the case of a train carries much more serious consequences and punishments. A train crash can lead to many more injury victims compared to a car accident and this potential places a larger burden of responsibility on the train company as well as the individual engineer.

Concerned commuters explain that they are worried about the safety of the trains they travel on since this is the third train accident this year involving Metro-North. Activists have demanded that the administration take additional safety precautions in order to prevent additional accidents. Some feel that safety and maintenance has been lacking, leading to these crashes that have injured and killed many victims. Read more about this train crash here.

Photo by Adam E. Moreira (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

August 27, 2013 News
0

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