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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A 57 year old man was seriously injured in a bicycle accident during which a car hit him and fled. The bicyclist had stopped in the middle of the street and was trying to cross West  145th street near Lenox Avenue when a red sedan struck him and sped away. The impact was so strong that the bicyclist was thrown in the air and landed on the windshield of the car, rolled off the hood and then hit the pavement while the bike was catapulted in the air and hit a minivan. The police are still searching for the reckless driver.

West 145th Street is a very dangerous street where many crashes have occurred in the past.  The bicycle accident happened near the intersection of Lenox Ave. According to the NYC.crashmapper heat map, 89 collisions were recorded at this location over a period of 31 months. 10 pedestrians, 2 bicyclists, 10 passengers and 11 motorists suffered personal injuries in theses crashes. Click on map below to see full size

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A 54 year old woman died in a bus accident yesterday night. The bus was traveling from New York City to North Carolina when the bus driver, 23 year old Eric Jimmerson from New York, fell asleep near Benson North Carolina on Interstate 95. The bus crossed the median heading towards a car coming in the opposite direction. The driver of the car swerved, trying to avoid the bus and crashed into a tree. He was seriously injured and his wife who was in the passenger seat died in the accident. Their 12 and 13 year old children who were sitting in the back were also injured. The New York bus driver was in critical condition after he was ejected from the bus. He may face charges. Four other passengers on the bus suffered personal injury. Read more here 

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Aron Aranbayev and Chloe KardashianIn a previous blog we described how a driver in an act of road rage ran over a pedestrian in Queens and killed him.  The driver has been identified as 46 year old Charles Jordan of Valley Stream, NY, a MTA train operator.  Jordan is facing murder and leaving the scene of an accident charges after the July 19th road rage incident that led to the death of jeweler to the stars Aron Aranbayev (picture here with Khloe Kardashian). The police also indicated that Jordan may have been involved in another road rage incident involving a gun. Read more in the NY Daily News

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A man died after he jumped out of a building on fire yesterday in East Harlem, New York.  The fire started Sunday morning around 5:50 am at 245 E. 124th St. near Second Ave (see picture). In an attempt to flee the blaze, the 58 year old man who was living on the seventh floor jumped out of his window.  He was found outside the building in critical condition and was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries. Four other people, including a firefighter suffered personal injury and were also transported to the hospital. It took firefighters an hour to stop the fire.  Read more in the NY Daily News

245 East 124th Street

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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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A drunk driver hit a bicyclist yesterday afternoon in Queens, NYC, sending him to the hospital in critical condition. The bicycle accident happened yesterday afternoon around 3:15 pm. The bicyclist was riding down Queens Plaza North near 29th St. in Long Island City when he was hit by a 35 year old drunk driver. The driver is expected to be charged with driving under the influence. Read more in the NY Daily News

In New York State, 3,752 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver between 2003 and 2012.

Drunk driving in New York

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A pedestrian died in the hospital after being struck by a hit and run driver with whom he just had an argument in Queens, NYC. 40 year old Aron Aranbayev, a well known jeweler, was getting dropped off on 71st Ave near 110th street in Forest Hills Sunday night around 11:00 pm when the driver who was stopped just behind him apparently got angry because he had to wait for him to clear the street and got out of his car to yell at Aranbayev. The driver got back in the car, backed up and then in an act of rage intentionally ran down the pedestrian and fled the scene. Aranbanyev suffered serious head trauma and died one day later in the hospital. Read more in The New York Daily News.

Queens intersection

The intersection where the pedestrian was struck by the hit and run driver, source: Google map

 

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Since 1990, 185  New Yorkers died in traffic accidents on Queens Boulevard, mostly pedestrians but also many bicyclists.  Yesterday New York Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference in Queens to announce that the “Boulevard of Death” would now become the Boulevard of life and that a $100 million redesign will be implemented to make this dangerous road safer for Queens residents.  The project will include additional crosswalks and safer crossing for pedestrians, protected bike lanes, expanded medians with green plants and intersections redesigned to decrease speed and deter reckless driving. The first phase started yesterday and will target a dangerous 1.3 mile stretch of the boulevard located between Roosevelt Ave and 73rd Street in Woodside. 6 people died, 36 suffered severe personal injury and 591 others suffered minor injuries in crashes in this specific area between 2009 and 2013. Read more on ABC New York

Queens Blvd redesign

 

Queens Boulevard Redesign Project, Source: New York City Department of Transportation

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Two young brothers were injured by a falling tree branch in New York on Monday. Johstin and Edward Reyes were having fun at a children’s playground at the Bronx River Park when a 10 foot long tree limb fell on them. They were both transported to the hospital and while Edward was released from the Hospital with bunps and bruises, his brother was not as lucky. Johstin not only broke his leg and suffered a head injury but  he also will need a spinal surgery. Read more in the NY Daily News

New York personal injury cases alleging negligence in maintaining the tree in a safe condition are difficult to prove. It is usually necessary to retain an expert arborist who can testify based on the condition of the tree that it was apparent that the tree or the branch were in a dangerous condition and at risk of falling.

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Report a potholeA New York bicyclist suffered severe personal injury after he hit a pothole and impaled his neck on a nearby fence. The man in his forties was riding his bike near Stockholm Street and Woodward Ave in Ridgewood, Queens, NYC, when the bicycle accident happened. The man hit the pothole and fell off the bike, hitting his head on the ground. He then tried to stand up but stumbled on a metallic fence on which he impaled his neck. The fence went all the way through his neck. When the EMS arrived they had to cut part of the fence to be able to treat the bicyclist. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Several cyclists interviewed by the NY Daily News were aware of the pothole and said the bicycle accident could have been avoided if the city was more proactive in repairing the potholes.  We can only hope that these cyclists were proactive as well and had previously taken a picture of the pothole and reported it to the City so that this bicyclist stands a chance to be compensated by the City for his gruesome injuries.  In New York, most pothole cases can only be won if the City had “written notice of the defect” before the accident occurred. If you are a bicyclist or a pedestrian in New York City and you notice a pothole, snap a pic and report it! It doesn’t take long and it may cause repair and protect a bicyclist in the future.