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:

A construction worker died after falling from a scaffolding in New York City. 31 year old Michael Buffamante was working on scaffolding at the Coney Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Sheepsheadbay yesterday. He was installing dechlorination equipment.  A little after noon he fell from his scaffolding into a 35 foot-deep sewage tank filled with wastewater and chlorine.

FDNY divers ran to the rescue and found the young worker lying at the bottom of the tank. They brought him to the surface. The worker was in cardiac arrest after having been in the water approximately 8 minutes . The paramedic gave him CPR and transported him to the hospital in critical condition. Buffamante died at the hospital. The worker was employed by Welkin Mechanical, a construction company based in Queens. According to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the worker was wearing protective equipment.The DEP did not specify what type of protective eqipment. Further investigation will be necessary to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on:

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical CenterA patient died at a NYC hospital ward after the hospital failed in its duty to protect him. A 77 year old patient at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, was attacked last week by 65 year old Larry Hammond, another patient. The man was beaten in the head and suffered critical injury. He died five days later from his injuries. The hospital only contacted the police one day after the attack. Read more in the NY Daily News

New York hospitals are responsible for the health and the well being of their patients. They are licensed and regulated by Federal and State law and have to follow strict policies and procedures.  If a hospital fails to protect a patient, the hospital can be liable for the injury or the death of the patient. Read more about it on our Hospital Negligence page.

 

Published on:

Johnson and Johnson talcA jury found that Johnson & Johnson engaged in “negligent conduct” in making and marketing its talc products. In a trial that started a month ago, a St Louis jury found that Johnson & Johnson talc products have caused or contributed to the stage IV ovarian cancer of Deborah Giannecchini.

The 63 year old woman was awarded $67.5 million for punitive damages and $2.575 million in compensatory damages. $2 million of the punitive damages will come from Johnson & Johnson talc supplier, Imerys. This is the first time that the the talc supplier has also been held liable for damages. In two previous similar product liability lawsuits filled in St. Louis, Johnson and Johnson lost $ 55 million and $72 million and was the only company held accountable for damages. Approximately 2,000 similar cases have been filed against Johnson and Johnson with approximately half of them filled in St. Louis.

In New Jersey, two product liability cases against the talc manufacturer were rejected by a judge who decided that there was no reliable evidence that talc powder was linked to ovarian cancer.

Published on:

fatal NYC fire accidentOne person died and 13 others were injured in a  fire accident in New York. Around 3:30 am yesterday morning a fire broke out in a residential building located on E. 93rd Street between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave. The building was a five-story building with 10 apartments. 250 firefighters were called to the rescue to battle the 6-alarm blaze. Most residents were able to get out using the fire escape. A resident living on the third floor wasn’t able to make it and died in the blaze. 3 other residents were injured as well as 8 firefighters. An elderly resident was saved by a courageous firefighter who used a dangerous technique known as roof-rope rescue.  Jim Lee was lowered on a rope off the roof of the building to save an elderly resident who was screaming for help from his third floor window. The courageous firefighter grabbed the man from his window and pulled him down to safety before the rope burned through. Residents said fire alarms woke them up in the middle of the night. They smelled smoke and quickly realized they had to evacuate the building. The fire erupted on one of the top floors of the building. Further investigation will be necessary to determine what caused the blaze.

Published on:

Almost 200 people died in car accidents on Queens Boulevard in NYC over the last 15 years. Queens Boulevard is also commonly nicknamed by New York City residents “the boulevard of deaths”. As part of the Vision Zero initiative some parts of this very long corridor are due to be redesigned by the New York City DOT. Another part of Queens Boulevard located in the Biarwoood and Kew Gardens area is also being redesigned as part of  the Kew Gardens Interchange Projects undertaken by the New York State Department of Transportation. According to DNA info, 3 pedestrian plazas are being built along Queens Boulevard as part of the project. The enormous project that started in 2010 is supposed to improve pedestrian and motor vehicle mobility on Queens Boulevard. Constructions over the last 6 years greatly inconvenienced he residents. Local community groups such as the Briarwood Action Network hope that the project that will be finished by next spring will finally benefit the community.

According to the Vision Zero map below, since the beginning of the year 13 people were injured in car accidents in the area that is being redesigned by the New York Sate DOT.

car accident injuries on Queens Boulevard NYC

Published on:

Bicycles are a common means of transportation, recreation and exercise throughout New York. Bicycles offer very little in terms of protection from the hazards confronting a bicyclist on the roadways of New York. This can, and often does, lead to severe and catastrophic injuries to bicyclists when an accident occurs. Unfortunately, a large percentage of persons injured in bicycle accidents are children. To read more on how we can assist you click here.

Published on:

Compartment Syndrome occurs when the pressure within a closed anatomic space (a compartment) becomes so elevated that capillary perfusion is compromised. Any closed anatomic space including the abdominal cavity is at risk of developing a compartment syndrome. Abdominal compartment syndrome is a clinical disease spectrum that results from increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) due to tissue edema or free fluid collecting in the abdominal cavity. Click above to read more.

Abdomen Anatomy

Published on:

Recent studies have found that fatal construction accidents in New york City have been occurring mostly on construction sites where non union workers were hired. According to  The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) an average of 80% of the workers dying in fatal falls on a New York construction site are non union workers (see previous blog). Today in an article in the NY Daily News, politicians and labor groups are asking the city to classify all recorded construction accidents by union or non union.

Published on:

Northern Boulevard and Prince aerial viewA pedestrian was fatally struck by a car in New York City last night. The 79 year old man was crossing the street at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Prince Street in Flushing, Queens, when he was struck by a SUV.  The driver was a 56 year old woman. She stayed at the scene of the accident and wasn’t charged. The pedestrian was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He later died from his injuries according to the NY Daily News.

Northern Boulevard is considered one of the most dangerous arterial roads in New York City. When mayor de Blasio signed 11 Vision Zero bills into law he held his press conference on Northern Boulevard and 61st Street.  This is where 8 year old Nashat Nahian (whose family is represented by our firm) was killed by a  truck driver on his way to school.

Northern Boulevard is a Vision Zero Priority Corridor. To reduce pedestrian deaths on the Northern Boulevard, the DOT recently presented several safety projects to local community boards such as Northern Blvd – Honeywell St to Broadway Corridor Safety Improvements and the Northern Boulevard – 105 St to 114 St Corridor Safety Improvements.

Published on:

Car accidents are the number one cause of fatalities among teens. 2,679 teens died and 123,000 were injured in car accidents in 2014 in the US according to the most recent statistics. Distracted driving including distraction from other passengers, speeding, alcohol use and lack of seat belts are among the main factors contributing to these accidents. To raise awareness about these dangers and in an attempt to prevent teens from dying or being injured in car crashes the Congress created the National Teen Driver Safety Week in 2007. National Teen Drivers Safety Week 2016 starts Today for the ninth consecutive year. During this week, schools and communities will conduct campaigns related to this issue.  If you want to get involved in your community or learn more about National Teen Driver Safety Week you can find campaign material here.