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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Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry in New York and in the US. Many of those deaths are preventable. To raise awareness of preventing fall hazards, OSHA asked employers in New York and all over the nation to organize during this week a voluntary event to talk to their employees about fall prevention safety.

In New York State, several events already occurred at the beginning of this week. On Monday June 2nd Turner Construction Company suspended work across the company to deliver a message focused on “Proper Pre-Task Planning for Safety” to 45,000 employees. The same day, in Malta, NY, Turner hosted a falls in construction stand down for 700 employees.

On Tuesday, in Manhattan, Related Hudson Yards hosted two falls in construction stand down events along with the sites general contractor, Tutor-Perrini (Buildings) for about 800 employees.

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According to the recently released NYPD motor vehicle collisions report, there were a total of 16,265 motor vehicle accidents in New York City in April compared to 15,796 in March and 16,412 in April 2013. For the first four months of the year the total number of accidents in NYC increased to 64,341 compared to 62,850 in 2013.

NYC%20motor%20vehicle%20accidents%20april%202014.jpgA total of 21 people died in traffic accidents in April compared to 15 in 2013.

Looking at the first 4 months of the year, the number of people dying in a crash is slightly lower in 2014 with 72 deaths compared to 84 deaths in 2013. For the last 3 months, this number is 51 in 2014 compared to 56 in 2013.

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AzureNYCcraneaccident.jpgThe long legal battle that ensued after two construction workers died in a crane collapse on 91st Street and First Avenue in Manhattan in 2008 just took another unexpected turn last week.

After the owner of New York Crane and Equipment Corporation, Jame Lomma, was cleared of all charges in a criminal prosecution in 2012 a judge just declared a mistrial in the civil lawsuit against the construction magnate because he was hurt in a bad car accident and was still in the hospital.

The families of the victims, Donald C. Leo, the crane operator and Ramadan Kurtan, a sewer worker, who were suing James Lomma for wrongful death, will have to wait at least until September to pursue their fight for justice.

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A 63 year old woman died and a 58 year old man is in critical condition after both were involved in two separate car accidents in Brooklyn, NYC, this week-end. The first accident happened at the intersection of Coney Island Ave and Avenue N. Two cars collided and went spinning through the intersection. One of them hit 63 year old Galina Truglio who was walking in the crosswalk before hitting another car. Galina Ruglio was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Intersection of Coney Island Ave and Avenue N is a very dangerous intersection. According to NYC Crashmapper there were 46 collisions over the last 31 months at this intersection. 4 pedestrians, 2 cyclists, one passenger and one driver suffered personal injuries at this location during the last 31 months.

accidents%20at%20Coney%20Island%20Ave%20and%20Avenue%20N.jpg6 hours later a 58 year old man suffered serious personal injury after being struck by a car while crossing Nostrand Ave at Church Ave in Brooklyn as well.

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A woman walking next to a New York City road construction site was injured by a three-foot buzz-saw blade that became detached, flew in the air and came shooting down the sidewalk. Construction workers were tearing up the roadway at 48th Street and 9th Ave to repair a water main when the accident happened. The woman suffered a cut on her leg. Thankfully nobody else was injured.

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The City Council just passed 11 traffic safety bills to crack down on reckless drivers and reduce accidents related to traffic violence. Drivers who fail to yield to a pedestrian or a cyclist will be punished by a penalty of $50 to $250 and up to 15 days in jail. Drivers who hit a pedestrian or a cyclist who has the right of way will be criminally charged and punished by up to $500 in fines and 30 days in jail. Cab drivers who injure or kill someone while committing a traffic violation will have their license immediately suspended. Stunt behaviors by motorcyclists such as wheelies and donuts will be prohibited.

Read more about these bills in New York Street Blog

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A MTA bus crashed into a truck this morning on Bruckner Blvd at Bryant Ave injuring 8 people, 2 of them seriously. The city bus was crossing left to right when it crashed into the bus which had stopped in the right lane. Read more in the New York Daily News

Bus accidents are on the rise in 2014: from January to March 2014 there were 1832 bus accidents in NYC compare to 1418 in the first 3 months of 2013.

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Speed_cameras.jpgPrevious studies have shown that warning signs for speed cameras help slow down speeding drivers and the city of New York is looking at this option according to the Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

Today there are only 20 speed cameras in the city but a recent legislation was passed to add 200 more speed cameras in the city and in Long Island.

Currently, the locations of existing cameras have not been released and warning signs don’t publicize them. Adding to that the current legislation that expands the camera program specifically excuses the use of warning signs for future camera installations.

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53 year old William Faison was riding his bicycle when he was struck and killed by a car at 228th Street and 120th Avenue in Cambria Heights, Queens, NYC. The car driver who killed him was reportedly driving with a suspended license and will likely get off with a slap on the wrist.

Read more in New York StreetBlog

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The site of the deadly bicycle accident, photo courtesy Google Map

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As part of the Vision Zero Initiative to reduce pedestrian deaths, the NYPD led a two-day crackdown on speeding in New York City. The police issued a total of 4814 tickets: 1249 in Brooklyn, 1219 in Queens, 1175 in Manhattan, 782 in the Bronx and 389 in Staten Island.

Read more in CBS New York