Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Premises Liability

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Welcome New Personal Injury Attorney Adam TynanThe New York personal injury law firm of Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackau is pleased to welcome attorney Adam J. Tynan to the firm.

Adam is an experienced civil litigation attorney who vigorously advocates for individuals and families who have suffered personal injuries. His practice focuses on personal injury, premises liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death.

Before joining the firm, Adam served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the New York City Law Department, where he represented various City agencies in the Special Litigation Unit on cases involving catastrophic injuries across all five boroughs. During his tenure, he completed countless depositions, motions, oral arguments, conferences, settlements, and trials—honing his courtroom skills and developing a deep understanding of complex civil litigation.

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Trump Village where the woman was killed by a solar panelA tragic accident at Trump Village in Brighton Beach has claimed the life of a 76-year-old woman after high winds from a powerful nor’easter tore a solar panel loose from a carport and sent it flying through the air.

According to reports, Lyudmila Braun was walking near Ocean Parkway and Brighton Beach Avenue around 10:30 a.m. Sunday when a large solar panel—measuring approximately 3½ feet by 7 feet—detached from a steel carport at an outdoor parking lot and struck her in the head. She was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 11 a.m.

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) later issued a partial vacate order for the lot owned by Trump Village Apartments Two Owner LLC, citing unsafe conditions. Inspectors ordered the area beneath the carport to be cleared while investigators determine whether the solar installation or the carport’s construction failed to meet wind-resistance or building-code standards.

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Mitchel Housing Complex in the Bronx where the collpase occuredWhen a portion of the 20-story Mitchel Houses in the Bronx collapsed on October 1, 2025, after an explosion in a ventilation shaft, hundreds of families were forced to evacuate. While no injuries were reported, residents lost access to their homes, belongings, and sense of safety. The collapse raises important questions about tenants’ rights, the legal responsibility of public housing authorities, and the options available to residents after such a catastrophic event.

Tenant Rights After a Building Collapse

New York tenants are legally entitled to safe and habitable housing. When a building becomes structurally unsafe—whether due to poor maintenance, faulty equipment, or systemic neglect—residents may have legal claims for:

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The building where the deadly collapse occuredA fatal construction accident in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, has placed the spotlight squarely on the property owner’s failure to maintain a safe structure. Following the collapse of a parapet wall that killed a 58-year-old worker, New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) inspectors documented severe façade defects at the one-story garage located at 113 Sunnyside Avenue.

The Deadly Collapse

The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, when the worker was struck in the back by a collapsing parapet wall while on the roof of the garage, which shares a lot with a six-story building at 224 Highland Boulevard. Emergency responders removed him from the roof using an aerial ladder, but he was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital.

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The Hip Hop that partially collapsed in BrooklynAs Brooklyn personal injury lawyers, we are closely following the recent ceiling collapse at the IHOP in Flatlands that left nine people injured and forced the restaurant to shut down. On September 5, 2025, a 10-by-10-inch section of the ceiling, weakened by water damage, fell onto diners. Five victims were transported to area hospitals, while four others received treatment at the scene. City inspectors later issued a vacate order and cited the property owner for failure to maintain the premises.

What Happened

  • A section of the ceiling collapsed due to water damage.

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The awning of the hotel St-Georges before the collapseA terrifying incident unfolded in Brooklyn Heights early Sunday morning when a massive hotel awning collapsed over the entrance to the Clark Street subway station. Surveillance footage captured the moment the concrete and steel structure—part of the historic Hotel St. George—suddenly gave way, crashing onto the sidewalk below. Fortunately, no pedestrians were underneath at the time, but the outcome could have easily been tragic.

As building collapse attorneys who have represented victims in cases involving façade failures, structural defects, and sidewalk hazards, we know just how catastrophic these incidents can be. When owners and operators neglect their duty to maintain property—especially high-traffic areas like subway entrances—the public bears the risk.

Alarming Signs of Neglect

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legionaire-diseaseInsights from our New York Personal Injury Lawyers

A troubling outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Harlem has left one person dead and at least 22 others ill, according to recent announcements from the New York City Department of Health. As personal injury attorneys in New York, we have seen firsthand how preventable public health failures—particularly those involving building maintenance and water safety—can have devastating consequences.

The outbreak, which began around July 25, has affected residents in five Harlem ZIP codes—10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039—along with surrounding neighborhoods. Investigators believe the source may be cooling towers that were not properly maintained, allowing Legionella bacteria to grow and spread via contaminated water vapor.

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the-buidling-before-the-collapseThree people, including two young girls, were injured last week, when a large section of a building facade collapsed onto the sidewalk and parked cars outside a furniture store in the Bellerose section of Queens. The parapet wall—approximately 175 linear feet—suddenly gave way, prompting emergency response teams and an investigation by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB).

At Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, our Queens personal injury lawyers are closely monitoring developments in this case. When building owners fail to maintain their properties, the consequences can be catastrophic. Tragically, this is not the first time innocent pedestrians have been harmed due to neglected structural hazards.

DOB inspectors issued an OATH/ECB violation to the building owner for “failure to maintain the building.” While the exact cause of the collapse is still under investigation, a prior complaint filed in June alleged the building was not up to code and had holes in the ceiling and floor. A contractor familiar with the structure noted that the parapet had rusted metal beams and may have required more extensive repairs than had been performed.

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the building where the victim was rapedOur NYC Premises Liability Lawyers Examine Legal Options for Victims of Inadequate Security

A 23-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in her own apartment in Jamaica, Queens early Saturday morning, according to the NYPD. The disturbing incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. in a building on 94th Avenue—leaving residents shaken and wondering how an intruder was able to gain access despite the building reportedly having security in place.

Police say the suspect entered the woman’s apartment and raped her before fleeing with her bed sheets. She was transported to Queens Hospital and is in stable condition. As of now, the suspect remains at large.

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Summer-Camp-Injury-NYAs New York personal injury attorneys who have seen firsthand how preventable negligence can change lives, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life at Camp Mystic in Texas, where a catastrophic flash flood claimed the lives of dozens of children and counselors over the July 4th weekend.

While the floodwaters surged in Texas, the ripple effects are being felt across the country — especially by parents preparing to send their children to summer camp in New York. The question on every parent’s mind: Could this happen here?

The heartbreaking reality is that camps — whether in upstate New York, the Catskills, or Long Island — are not immune from natural disasters, inadequate emergency preparedness, or lapses in supervision. But there are important steps parents can take to better protect their children and avoid preventable harm.