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.

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Daniel+Pollack-1In a recent article published in Policy & Practice, Daniel Pollack, a Professor at the School of Social Work, Yeshiva University in New York explains why lawsuits against human services agencies are very often settled through mediation.  The article is related to lawsuits against human services agencies but most points can apply to personal injury lawsuits as well. The article provides a detailed definition of  what a mediation is and how it differs from a hearing or an arbitration. Professor Pollack also looks at the benefits of a mediation compared to a trial and refers to specific cases where it is the best alternative for both sides. The article emphasizes the instrumental role of the mediator and what defines a good mediator.

Download the complete article here

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The police are investigating a motorcycle accident that happened on Grand Central Parkway in Queens, NYC.  32 year old Adolso Espinal was riding his bike west on Grand Central Parkway near 165th Street in Jamaica, when he hit a bump and was thrown from his bike onto the parkway. He was then struck by another motorist who couldn’t avoid him. Read more in the NY Daily News.

 

 

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FullSizeRenderAfter several pedestrians were injured and a few died in car accidents on West End Avenue, the New York City Department of Transportation installed mid-avenue islands at two dangerous intersections and narrowed the avenue from four lanes to two in mid-November last year.  Since then, data from the NYPD show a significant decrease in car accidents at both the intersections of West 95th Street and West 97th Street.  A ban on left turns at both intersections between 7:00 and 9:00 am as well as police reinforcement on West End Ave also helped in reducing the number of crashes.  Cooper Stock and Jean Chambers (see previous blog) who both died on West End Ave before the redesign was implemented, were killed by drivers making a left turn. Both victims were in the crosswalk and had the right of way. John Chambers, Jean’s husband, told DNA Info that the island are making a big difference in protecting pedestrians lives. He said that the islands are slowing down drivers and preventing them from making a dangerous sharp turn. He believes that if the islands had been installed earlier, his wife may still be alive. Read the complete article in DNA Info

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A 50 year old pedestrian was seriously injured after being hit by a bus in Manhattan. 50 year old Devan Snipner was in the crosswalk  when he was struck by a double-decker sightseeing tour bus making a left turn from West 4th Street onto 6th Ave. According to witnesses, one of the pedestrian’s legs got crushed under the bus. Snipner was transported to the hospital in critical condition. According to the Gothamist he is now in stable condition. The driver stayed at the scene and so far hasn’t been charged. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Bus accident location

Picture courtesy of Google Map: the pedestrian was crossing on 6th Ave when the bus coming from West 4th made a left turn and hit him

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59th Street and FifthA 62 year old woman and a 52 year old man were hit by a car after the driver lost consciousness and his car jumped the curb in front of the Apple store at the intersection of 59th street and 5th Avenue. The two pedestrians as well as the driver and the passenger of the car were injured and taken to the hospital. Midtown North has one of the highest concentration of pedestrian activity in New York City. The sidewalks are crowded with locals, commuters and tourists.  Between 2009 and 2013 there were 2684 auto accidents involving pedestrians that resulted in 23 deaths and 252 personal injuries.

 

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A 68 year old Spanish woman visiting from Spain died in a bus accident in Manhattan last Thursday.  The woman was waiting to cross the street with her sister when a United Coach Line white bus that was parked just next to her pulled out of its spot and caught her under the front wheels. The scene unfolded in front of her sister who had to be hospitalized in shock. The United Coach Line bus had parked on Amsterdam Ave. outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where the Teacher’s College of Columbia University was holding a hooding ceremony. The university was also holding its commencement, so thousands of graduates and their families were milling about the neighborhood. The driver apparently didn’t see the victim before pulling out. Read more in the NY Daily News

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A woman driving a SUV lost control of her car and crashed into a supermarket in Flushing, Queens, NYC, injuring several people. A cashier was transported to the hospital in critical condition and several shoppers were injured. Police are still investigating why the SUV crashed into the supermarket.

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New York car accidentThe New York Daily News analyzed NYPD crash data from July 2012 to March 2015 to see if the Zero Vision Plan launched by Bill de Blasio was making the streets of New York City safer. According to the newspaper analysis that compared the road statistics after the Vision Zero Roll out from September to December 2014 with the same period of 2012, the results are mixed.  Some roads had very large decline in the numbers of vehicles accidents resulting in severe personal injuries or fatalities such as Broadway between 125th street to 95th Street in Manhattan but other roads saw an increase in accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities. For example during the months following a reduction of the speed limit on E. Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, car accidents on this road resulted in 50 fatalities or severe personal injuries while for the same period of 2012 this number was 33.

Read more in the New York Daily News

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A 37 year old woman was killed in a construction accident in New York on Tuesday. Tina Nguyen was walking on a West Village sidewalk when a four foot-by-eight foot piece of plywood flew into her right side and slammed her against the wall of a building located at  175 West 12th street . She was pronounced dead upon her arrival to the hospital. The piece of plywood was blown off a security fence across the street that surrounds a construction site where a 200-unit condominium complex, the Greenwich Lane, is rising on the site of the former campus of St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan.

The site, located at 1 Seventh Avenue and developed by the the Rudin Management Company and Global Holdings, has 11 open violations issued between last may and November. In August 2014, The NYC Building Department received a complaint that debris falling from the building struck someone in the head.

Yesterday workers were seen securing the fence and the New York City Building Department issued a full stop-work order for the construction site. The contractor, Turner Construction Company was also issued Environmental Control Board violations for a failure to safeguard property and for failing to provide plans for its construction fence.

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In February 2013, a 64 year old female resident of a New York nursing home was sexually abused by a 42 year old male nurse.  After the case was adjourned several times (see previous blog), Nanic Aidasani pleaded guilty Monday at the Bronx Supreme Court to endangering the welfare of an elderly person and sex abuse. The plea will send him to jail for six months. He will also be registered as a sex offender and be stripped of his nursing license.  The family was happy that the case was finally closed but they found the sentence too lenient. Read more in the NY daily News