New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog16 year old Lucas O’Connor was one of five people in a driving school car that was struck by a tractor-trailer in Warwick, NY, after the driver, 16 year old Claudia Krebs, pulled into an intersection with a flashing red light on rural road 41. Two other students, Antonio Baglivo and Paul VanDoran died in the truck accident. The 4 students were all from Goshen High Schoool. They were participating in a summer driver’s ed program organized by Decat Driving School at the time of the crash. The police indicated that the truck driver who had the right of way couldn’t brake in time. They also mentioned that the intersection was dangerous and that it was not the first fatal accident at this location. There may very well be grounds for a lawsuit against the driving school. If the instructor was not properly trained and a rigorous hiring process not conducted and it can be established that the instructor was not properly qualified a negligent hiring case may be viable. Read more in the NY Daily News
In the Aftermath of Monday’s fatal bicycle accident, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams asks the NYC department of transportation to redesign the dangerous intersection near the Barclays Center
35 year old Alejandro Moran Marin died in a bicycle accident that happened two days ago at a dangerous intersection located near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Yesterday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams held a press conference at the site of the accident. To illustrate the dangers of the intersection, Adams started the press conference by taking journalists on a bike ride around the area. During the ride he was almost hit by a truck. Adams said that 3 bicyclists died in the area in the last three years. He urged the DOT to fast track the plans to redesign the area. Read more in the Mean Streets Section of the Brooklyn Paper
3 people suffered personal injury in a building collapse in New York City
3 people were injured after a building collapsed at 1438 Fulton St. near Brooklyn Ave in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NYC yesterday afternoon. The building was set to be demolished and was vacant except for a beauty supply store at the bottom floor. Thankfully no one was inside at the time of the accident. 55 year old Terry Charles who was riding his bike near the building at the time of the collapse was injured after he fell off his bike. Two other pedestrians were also injured. Read more and see Surveillance video obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York
Our partner, New York Police Brutality Lawyer Anthony Gair explains to the New York Times why the settlement amount was higher in the Gardner case than in the Diallo case
Our partner Anthony Gair who represented the mother of Amadou Diallo, who was shot at 41 times by NYPD officers was quoted in an article from the New York Times related to the $ 5.9 million settlement received by the family of Eric Garner from the City of New York.
The case of Mr. Garner’s death differed from other killings by the police because of video capturing his final pleas for breath and because of the number of children who could claim damages. Five are named in the release forms. “I was dealing with someone who left no dependents and there was no conscious pain and suffering because he died instantly,” said Anthony H. Gair, the lawyer for the family of Amadou Diallo, killed in hail of police bullets in 1999. The city made no significant offer “until the very, very end,” he said, ultimately settling the case for $3 million. This amount is the largest amount that has ever been paid by the city of New York in a wrongful-death action for the death of a single individual with no dependents.
The NYPD are still looking for a hit and run cyclist who seriously injured a 67 year old pedestrian in Manhattan last month
The police are 
looking for a cyclist who struck a 67 year old female pedestrian on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and fled the scene of the accident leaving the victim lying on the road in critical condition.
The bicycle accident happened on June 9th as the 67 year old woman was crossing the bike lane at the intersection of First Ave and E. 87th Street.
The police are still looking for the reckless bicyclist and recently released a video showing the man riding away after he struck the woman.
A 24 year old drunk driver is suspected of having caused the Long island car crash that killed a Queens father and his two sons
3 people died in a car accident in Long island, NY, early morning on Monday. The Ostanes, a Queens family from Haiti, were coming back from a gathering with relatives when a drunk driver who was also speeding crashed into their car. As the car burst into flames, Lucnie Bouaz-Ostane, the 35 year old mother who was in the passenger seat was able to escape. She tried to rescue the rest of the family but was unable to open the doors. Her husband, Ancio Ostane, 37, her daughter Sephora, 4, and her son, Andy, 8, all died in the accident. The drunk driver fled but the police were able to apprehend him. 24 year old O’Neil Sharp was arrested and charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident. Sharp pleaded not guilty and Today authorities said a second man was arrested and awaiting arraignment. 23 year old Demetri Stewart was charged with leaving the scene of a death, fourth-degree criminal facilitation and third-degree hindering prosecution. Stewart apparently was riding another car just behind Sharpe when the accident happened. Read more in the NY Daily News
An out of control SUV driver killed a bicyclist yesterday morning near the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NYC
A bicyclist was killed in an accident Monday during the early morning traffic rush in Brooklyn, New York City. The bicyclist was riding south on Fourth Avenue near the Barclay Center when he was hit by an out of control SUV. According to the police, Claudio Rodriguez, the 37 year old driver of the SUV, may have had a seizure. Rodriguez was travelling North on Fourth Ave when he first struck a car at a red light at the Dean Street intersection. The SUV then jumped the concrete median and crashed into the bicyclist who flew in the air and landed on the hood of the SUV. The bicyclist was carried several blocks on the hood of the SUV before he fell onto the pavement in front of the Atlantic terminal where he died. Rodriguez hit another car before crashing on Flatbush Avenue. 5 other people were injured in the accident. The police are waiting for the blood test results to determine if a medical condition caused the accident. According to the Post “Rodriguez admitted to cops that he had forgotten to take medication on Monday to control his seizures, law-enforcement sources said.”
Two pedestrians suffered severe personal injury in an accident involving a truck and a car in New York City
Two pedestrians were seriously injured in an accident between a car and a truck in Queens, NYC, on Tuesday. Two women, ages 47 and 50, were walking on a sidewalk near the intersection of Northern Blvd and 162nd St. in Murray Hill when a SUV was struck by a Long Island Jewish Hospital truck while turning from Northern Blvd onto 162nd St. The SUV jumped the curb and hit the two women. One of them was pinned under the car and her head smashed on the ground. The two women were taken to the hospital. They were seriously injured but in stable condition. Read more in the NY Daily News
How to prevent deaths and personal injuries related to tipping furniture and TVs?
Furniture and TV tip-overs are among the top cause of deaths and personal injuries around the house. Every 24 minutes in the US a child is sent to the emergency room because of a fallen TV or tipped furniture. Every 15 minutes someone in the U.S. is injured by furniture tip-over and on average, one child dies every two weeks when a TV or furniture falls onto him or her.
“Anchor It”, a new national safety campaign outlines the dangers of tip-overs and explains how easy it is to anchor furniture and TVs properly.
Families with children can easily prevent tip-over accidents by making sure televisions are placed on stable and sturdy furniture designed for this purpose. Wall mounted TVs are the best way to prevent tip-over but when TVs are not wall mounted they should be anchored to the wall. Heavy furniture should also be anchored with anti-tip brackets. Small objects on top of furniture that may tempt children to climb onto the furniture to grab them should also be removed.
A minister who pleaded guilty for leaving the scene of a NYC fatal car crash was sentenced to up to 4 1/2 years in jail
One 
year ago Bryan Loughran (picture) was killed by a hit and run driver in Brooklyn , NYC (see previous blog). The driver who left him dying on the road was later on identified as Michael Casale, a 54 year old Minister from Brooklyn. After he fled from the scene of the accident, the minister abandoned his vehicle and tried to conceal his responsibility by reporting it stolen. Police arrested Casale at his home. Hours after questioning and blaming “his friend” for leaving the scene, Casale broke down into tears and confessed, the judge said. He was sentenced to up to 4 1/2 years in prison two days ago. Read more in the NY Daily News
