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.
Published on:

tort claims against the city of New York 2025The New York City Comptroller’s Claim Dashboard provides real-time, continuous visibility into how the City spends taxpayer dollars on settlements and judgments. For Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025), the dashboard data offers a detailed picture of the City’s personal injury liability—showing which agencies and claim types are driving the highest costs, where payouts are increasing or declining, and what this means for personal injury victims pursuing claims against the City of New York.

Citywide Totals: Liability Still Above $800 Million

  • FY 2024: $1.06 billion in settlements/judgments
Published on:

NYC Personal Injury Attorney Ben Rubinowitz to speak at Decision 2025Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Ben Rubinowitz will be a featured speaker at DECISIONS 2025: Recent Developments in Tort Law, to be held in New York City.

Widely regarded as one of the leading trial lawyers in the nation, Ben Rubinowitz has built a reputation for securing record-setting verdicts and for his mastery of trial advocacy. At this year’s conference, he will present on Trial Practice, sharing his insights on effective courtroom strategies and techniques that have defined his career.

Topics at DECISIONS 2025

Published on:

location-of-the-hit-and-run-truck-accident-in-BrooklynOn September 19, 2025, tragedy struck at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Avenue in Crown Heights, when a tractor-trailer fatally struck 69-year-old Deborah Koonce. According to the NYPD, the driver of the 18-wheeler fled the scene, leaving the pedestrian to be pronounced dead on site.

Days later, police tracked the truck and its 50-year-old driver to Mine Hill, New Jersey—roughly 50 miles away. Yet despite locating the individual behind the wheel, authorities declined to make an arrest, citing the driver’s claim that he did not realize he had struck a pedestrian. The investigation is said to be ongoing.

Trucks Banned from Eastern Parkway

Published on:

 Patient with DoctorsIn a case highlighted by The New Yorker—“If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For? Large language models are transforming medicine—but the technology comes with side effects,” by Dhruv Khullar—we’re reminded how a missed diagnosis can spiral into life-altering harm and how patients increasingly turn to A.I. for answers when medicine falls short. The story of Matthew Williams, whose cecal volvulus was initially dismissed as “constipation,” illustrates both the stakes of diagnostic error and the complicated role A.I. now plays in modern care.

In 2017, Matthew Williams went from an active life to one shaped by fear of everyday foods after an emergency visit that clinicians dismissed as “probable constipation.” A missed diagnosis of cecal volvulus—an intestinal twist that cuts off blood flow and requires urgent surgery—cost him roughly six feet of intestine, and with it the ability to eat freely, social comfort, and a measure of his former life. Years of follow-up care, repeated consultations, and dietary restrictions followed before a simple experiment with an A.I. tool helped point toward a dietary explanation that clinicians had not identified.

How a missed diagnosis becomes medical malpractice

Published on:

M Adimey Medical Malpractice (Facebook Post)Partner Marijo C. Adimey of Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf will be a panelist at the New York City Bar Association’s Medical Malpractice Conference on Friday, October 10, 2025.

She will join Hon. Tracy Catapano-Fox, Supreme Court, Queens County, and Adam Dulgacz, Heidell Pittoni Murphy & Bach, LLP, on the panel Medical Malpractice: Trial Practice. Together, they will share perspectives on trial strategy, jury dynamics, and a perspective from the bench,

Conference Overview

Published on:

Deadly Queens IntersectionA tragic crash in South Richmond Hill, Queens left one woman dead and another seriously injured on Saturday afternoon, underscoring both the dangers of reckless driving and the complex legal issues that arise in pedestrian accident cases.

What Happened at Van Wyck Service Road and Liberty Avenue

According to police, a Mercedes-Benz driven by a 65-year-old woman slammed into the rear of a Toyota Scion that had been stopped to make a left turn. The force of the impact pushed the Toyota forward into two women who were crossing the street.

Published on:

Speeding ruins life NYC campaignA serious car accident in Bay Ridge early Tuesday morning is shining a spotlight on the dangers of repeat reckless drivers and the urgent need for stronger state legislation.

Details of the Crash

According to the NYPD, the collision occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. at Bay Ridge Avenue and Ridge Boulevard . A 26-year-old driver in a Honda Accord, traveling south on Ridge Boulevard, slammed into an MTA bus heading westbound. The impact was so forceful that the bus jumped the curb and struck a building.

Published on:

Prima Donna restaurant might have some responsibility in the death of the pedestrianExploring wrongful death, personal injury, and bar liability after an alcohol-fueled, intentional vehicle attack

A horrifying incident in Queens left 16-year-old Jhoanny Alvarez dead after, prosecutors say, a man intentionally drove his Chevrolet Suburban into a group of people outside the Prima Donna Restaurant in the early hours of September 15, 2025. The Queens District Attorney has since charged 38-year-old Edwin Cruz Gomez with murder, attempted murder, and related counts. Police report that Cruz Gomez’s blood alcohol concentration measured 0.137% after the crash.

When a violent act with a motor vehicle results in death, victims’ families face two separate paths to justice: criminal prosecution and civil recovery. In addition to a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, the family may have grounds to pursue Dram Shop liability against any establishment that negligently sold or served alcohol to the driver before the attack. In catastrophic cases involving alleged intentional conduct and intoxication, a thorough civil investigation can mean the difference between partial and full accountability.

Published on:

Martense ave and 102nd street in Queens where the pedestrian accident occuredAn allegedly drunk and unlicensed driver has been arrested in Queens after a violent crash left two pedestrians — a 13-year-old girl and a 72-year-old man — seriously injured. The incident underscores the devastating consequences of drunk driving and highlights the dangers that negligent motorists pose to innocent pedestrians.

Details of the Crash

According to NYPD reports, the collision occurred on September 14, 2025, around 8:05 p.m. at Martense Avenue and 102nd Street in Corona. A 40-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2013 white Honda sedan struck both the teenager and the senior as they crossed the street.

Published on:

The East New York Intersection where the accident occuredA shocking crash in East New York has raised serious questions about liability and accountability. According to reports, a 15-year-old—far too young to drive legally—was behind the wheel of a stolen black Honda Accord when he struck a 71-year-old pedestrian standing on the curb at Pennsylvania and Hegeman Avenues.

Video footage shows the vehicle traveling the wrong way before going airborne, slamming into a utility pole, and injuring the pedestrian. The teenager fled the scene on foot just as police vehicles, which had been pursuing him, arrived. Moments later, the mangled car burst into flames. The victim was rushed to the hospital in stable condition, while the teen was later arrested and charged with grand larceny, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, and other crimes.

Beyond the Driver: Could the Police Share Responsibility?