New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog

Published on: October 15, 2015

NYC cops paint parking space numbers over Broklyn bike lane

While Manhattan bicyclists are getting new protected bike lanes, Brooklyn bicyclists are still at risk of dangerous bicycle accidents and the police is not really helping!

Joanna Oltman Smith posted this picture of police officers painting parking numbers over a Brooklyn bike lane on her Twitter account.

They had to repaint the street but the bike lane is still used for parking. The picture below that was tweeted by Nick Malinowksi shows how dangerous it is for a bicyclist to ride on this street.

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Published on: October 15, 2015

A new bike lane on Sixth Ave between W. 14th Street and West 33rd Street will protect New York bicyclists from dangerous accidents

By GGCRBHS&M

The DOT recently announced that New Yorkers using the Sixth Ave bike lane between W14th Street and West 33rd Street will soon be better protected from dangerous bicycle accidents as the city is planning to replace the actual strip of white paint with a secure and protected bike lane. The DOT didn’t specify what type of configuration will be implemented. Options may include a physically separated bike lane, a parking protected bike lane or two-way separated lanes. Protected bike lanes have proven to be very effective in reducing the number of traffic injuries. In a document entitled Measuring the Street, the Dot indicated that since Ninth Ave was redesigned with a protected bike lane and pedestrian safety islands, it recorded a 58% decline in injuries to all street users. Read more in Chelsea Now

Published on: October 15, 2015

A bicyclist died after being struck by a truck in Queens, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

A 34 year old woman died in a NYC accident involving a truck and a bicycle. The woman was riding her bike west on 56th Road near 46th Street in Maspeth, Queens yesterday morning around 8:45 when she was hit by a truck. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died shortly after. The driver who’s license was suspended was taken into custody. Charges are pending. Read more in the NY Daily News

56th Road near 46th Street doesn’t offer much protection to bicyclists, Picture: Google map

Published on: October 14, 2015

A driver who fell asleep behind the wheel injured 2 pedestrians on a Brooklyn sidewalk early this morning

By GGCRBHS&M

2 pedestrians suffered personal injury in a New York City car accident this morning. Two men in their 40’s were walking near 18th Ave and 47th street in Borough Park, Brooklyn when a car jumped the curb and hit them early this morning. According to the police the driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

For the last few months in New York City there were more than 50 monthly traffic accidents caused by drivers falling asleep. According to NYPD statistics, these types of accidents have been steadily increasing in the city since the beginning of 2013. Until April 14 they would be below 50 most of the time.

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Published on: October 14, 2015

After a less than 1% response rate to an initial recall and a fourth death by entrapement, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Bed Handles Inc are re-anouncing the recall of defective portable bed handles

By GGCRBHS&M

The company Bed Handles Inc is re-announcing the recall of 3 models of their portable bed handles because they are defective and have caused the death of 4 people. These products are: Bedside Assistant, Model BA10W, Travel Handles Use, Model BA11W, Adjustable Bed Handle, Model AJ1.

When attached to an adult bed without the use of safety retention straps, the handles can shift out of place, creating a dangerous gap between the handles and the side of the mattress, posing a risk of entrapment, strangulation and death.

Recently a 90 year old woman died in a nursing home after being entrapped in the gap between the mattress and the defective bed handle. Before her three other women died in similar conditions.

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Published on: October 14, 2015

Off duty New York police officer pulled two people out of a burning bus school that had just crashed on the Long Island Expressway

By GGCRBHS&M

Two people who could have died in a school bus accident only suffered minor personal injury thanks to a courageous NYPD officer. Christopher Canale, a NYPD transit cop on the Far Rockaway train line was driving on the Long Island Expressway last Thursday with his family when a mini school bus crashed into a box truck and started to burn just in front of his car. Canale stopped on the side of the road and ran to the bus thinking it was full of children. He quickly realized that only two people were on on board: the bus driver and an aid stuck in the back. The NYPD cop was first able to get the aid out of the bus safely. Then as the flames were threatening to burn the feet of the bus driver who was stuck between his seat and the steering wheel he was able to pull him out to safety just before the bus burst into fire. Read more in the NY Daily News

The picture taken by Canale after he rescued the two people

Published on: October 13, 2015

How to protect construction workers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?

By GGCRBHS&M

Construction workers that are exposed to vapors, gases, dusts and fumes are at increased risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) according to a study that was recently published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The study looked at 834 cases of older construction workers with COPD and analysed their lifetime work and exposure histories. Researchers found that as a result of broad and complex effects of many exposures acting independently or interactively, construction workers are at increased risk of COPD and those who are smokers are the most at risk.

Tomorrow, Wednesday Ocotber 14 at 2pm Easter Time, The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) invited Dr John Dement, the lead author of this study to present his findings in a webinar. This webinar is free and will last 20 minutes. You can click here to register.

Key finding from the research can also be downloaded here.

Published on: October 13, 2015

A mother of five died and 6 other people were injured in a Coca-Cola truck accident in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a truck and several other people suffered personal injury yesterday near the intersection of Bruckner Blvd and 138th street in the Bronx, NYC.

37 year old Cheniqua Silva, a mother of 5 teenagers was on the phone with her husband while waiting for the bus on the sidewalk when a Coca-Cola truck jump the curb and slammed into her. The woman was trapped beneath the truck and died at the scene of the accident.

According to a witness a car that was trying to avoid motorcycles hit the truck causing it to jump the curb.

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Published on: October 13, 2015

Failure to treat priapism in a timely manner can be medical malpractice that can cause serious injury

By GGCRBHS&M

Failure to diagnose or to treat priapism, a medical condition of prolonged penile erection that is unrelated to sexual stimulation, can result in serious complications such as permanent erectile dysfunction or disfigurement of the penis. Priapism is not very common but as a result of the use of erectile dysfunction medication the potential for serious complications from Priapism is on the rise. Other medications such as intracavernosal agents, some antihypertensive agents , some psychotropic drugs, anticoagulants, cocaine, certain hormones, and ginkgo Biloba are also known to cause priapism. Diseases such as sickle cell disease can also cause this painful medical condition.

When a patient suffers from priapism it is crucial that the doctor determines if it is a case of ischemic or nonischemic priapism. Ischemic priapism is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Usually the patient will receive an intracavernous injection of an alpha-adrenergic sympathomimetic agent followed by a surgical shunting procedure if necessary. Nonischemic priapism is not considered an emergency and will usually resolve by itself without treatment.

In its “Case of the Month” the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants looks at the case of a middle aged patient who was diagnosed with ischemic priapism associated with trazodone use. Read the complete article here

Published on: October 9, 2015

Nursing home’s resident-on-resident abuse

By GGCRBHS&M

Nursing home abuse doesn’t necessarily relate to abuse committed by staff members on residents. Sometimes nursing home residents can be abused by other residents as well. In a recent article in the Buffalo News, Melinda Miller looks at a study from from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City that that surveyed 2,000 nursing home residents in 10 randomly chosen nursing homes in New York State and interviews with several elder care specialists about this problem.

According to the study, every month, 1 out of 5 residents in New York nursing homes experiences some form of aggression from another resident. Most of the time the aggression is only verbal such as screaming or cursing but sometimes anger leads to physical assault and residents may be hit, kicked or bitten. Sexual assault is also an issue with some residents exposing their genitals or making unwanted sexual advances. Instances of scratching, spitting and throwing things are also mentioned in the study.

In nursing homes, it is common to see confused residents entering other residents’rooms and going through other resident’s belonging. This type of behaviors can be the starting point of further violence. In the article, the director of an Elder Clinic in New York State, explains how her confused mother went into the room of another resident who then got upset and pushed her. She fell and broke her wrist.

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