New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog

Published on: February 19, 2015

As the temperature drops in New York City the risk of fire accidents rise

The risk of fire accidents increases during the cold weather as New Yorkers are sometimes using dangerous alternative heating sources, particularly space heaters. Last Sunday a 78 year old lady was found unconscious in her kitchen and pronounced dead after a fire erupted in the middle of the night in her apartment in Bedford Park in the Bronx, NYC. On Monday a 30 year old mother and her 15 and 4 year old children from Brooklyn, NYC were forced to jump from a three story window onto a scaffolding after a blaze ravaged the housing project they were living in. The mother was injured and broke her legs as she landed. On Tuesday a 4 year old boy was critically injured as he suffered burns and smoke inhalation in another house fire that erupted in Bensonhurst, Broolyn, NYC.

With the coming weather, we would like to remind New Yorkers about the dangers alternative heating sources such as space heaters can present and provide tips on how to protect their homes and families while trying to stay warm. Here is a video from the Consumer Reports that provides useful tips to Use Home Heating Equipment Safely to Prevent Fire.

Published on: February 19, 2015

Potential case of medical malpractice threatens UCLA hospital as two patients died and nearly 180 patients may have been infected by contaminated endoscopes

By GGCRBHS&M

Medical negligence by doctors or medical staff who do not respect cleaning procedures or fail to discard contaminated implements are often the reason why hospital patients are getting infected by contaminated instruments. Yesterday, UCLA Medical Center announced that 179 patients may have been infected by the super-bug bacteria carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) transmitted by two infected endoscopes during diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic and bile duct problems. The hospital also said that two patients died of complications related to this issue. Outbreaks of CRE and other superbugs are a major issue among hospitals in the USA and all over the world. A recent study found that if the rampant spread of super-bugs wasn’t halted it could kill up to 10 million people a year worldwide and cost $100 trillion. Read more in the New York Daily News

Published on: February 18, 2015

A pedestrian who was struck by a car in Queens, NYC, at the begining of the month, died from his injuries

By GGCRBHS&M

On February 4th, around 11 pm, Marco Orellana was hit by a car on North Conduit Avenue near JFK airport. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The police announced yesterday that the man died from his injuries on February 11th. The police also said that they were still investigating the accident. During the accident, The 32 year old driver first struck the pedestrian and then rear-ended a parked car. He stayed at the scene and wasn’t charged. Read more in NewsDay

Published on: February 18, 2015

In case of a car accident, the Buick Encore and the Chevrolet Trax are the cars that will provide the most protection to their occupants according to recent crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

By GGCRBHS&M

When a car accident occurs, some cars are safer than others and will protect occupants from severe personal injury or death more effectively. The Buick encore and its cheaper version, the Chevrolet Trax just earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To qualify for Top Safety Pick a car must earn a “good” or “acceptable” rating for small overlap protection and a “good” rating in the institute’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint crash tests. The 2015 Encore received the highest score (“good”) in the small overlap crash test compared to the 2014 model which was rated “poor” in the same test a year before. The small overlap test replicates a collision during which the front corner of a car hits another car or an object such as a light pole or a tree. Read more in the IIHS press release

Published on: February 17, 2015

A previous voluntary recalls of defective peripheral infusion systems manfactured by Covidien, a company recently aquired by Medtronic, has now been classified as a class I recall by the FDA

By GGCRBHS&M

Trellis 6 In December, Covidien announced a voluntary recall of its Trellis-6™ and Trellis-8™ peripheral infusion systems after customers reported a manufacturing error where the proximal and distal balloon inflation ports were labeled incorrectly resulting in the potential for incorrect sequence of balloon deflation. An incorrect sequence of balloon deflation could potentially create blood clots that could travel downstream and go to the lungs and seriously injure the patient. Today Medtronic, that just acquired Covidien announced that the recall has now been classified as a class I recall by the FDA. Read more in the press release

Published on: February 17, 2015

In 2014 car companies recalled a record number of 63.95 million vehicles to repair potential manufacturing defects and prevent car accidents

By GGCRBHS&M

GM defective ignition switch and Takata defective airbags accounted for a large part of the recalls.According to the automakers, GM recalled about 27 million vehicles last year, Honda recalled about 8.9 million vehicles last year, Fiat Chrysler recalled about 8.8 million, Toyota recalled about six million and Ford recalled almost 4.9 million.Airbag defects led to one third of all the recalls in 2014. The previous record was of 30.81 million cars recalled in 2004. Manufacturers recalled 22 million vehicles in 2013 and 16 million each year in 2012 and 2011.

Also 7.7 million child safety seats were recalled in 2014, the second highest number since such statistics started to be collected in 1972. Read more in the New York Times

Published on: February 17, 2015

A 15 year old pedestrian suffered serious personal injury in a MTA bus accident in Brooklyn, NYC; the driver was arrested and charged

By GGCRBHS&M

A 15 year old girl suffered a severe leg injury after she was hit by a New York MTA bus. The accident happened when the bus driver made a left turn from Union Ave to Grand Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC Friday morning. The young girl whose name is Jiahuan Xu was crossing the street in a crosswalk and had the right of way. She was struck by the bus and her left leg was pinned under the wheel of the bus for 15 minutes. The driver, 58 year old Francisco de Jesus was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. Failure to yield became a misdemeanor last year as part of the Vision Zero program to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities. The bus drivers union was upset with the charges and said that drivers should be exempt from criminal charges related to driving.

Published on: January 28, 2015

New York cop arrested for drunk driving after crashing his car during the snow storm

By GGCRBHS&M

A 30 year NYPD Veteran who was off duty crashed his car while he was driving under the influence during the snow storm when all non-emergency vehicles were supposed to be off the road. He was arrested after he hit another vehicle at East 58th Street and Kings Highway in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NYC. The police wouldn’t say if the cop had just gotten off work when the car accident happened.

Read more in DNA

Published on: January 28, 2015

A speeding driver who struck a pedestrian nearly killing him and sped away was caught by the police and charged with leaving the scene of an accident, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle

By GGCRBHS&M

A New York pedestrian is in critical condition after a driver slammed into him and tried to run away from the police. The 35 old man year old had just walked out of a Dehli and was crossing the road at Sherman Ave and Sickles Street in Manhattan when 42 year old Hector Mynaya sped down the street and crashed into the pedestrian. The driver sped away and went to hide in a nearby parking garage where the cops apprehended him.

Read more in the New York Post

Published on: January 28, 2015

A driver who fatally struck a pedestrian who was crossing the road in the crosswalk was charged with failing to exercise due care and driving without a license

By GGCRBHS&M

The NYPD announced they have charged a 60 year old driver who killed a 27 year old pedestrian in Brooklyn at the end of December. Raul Leone-Vasquez was hit in the crosswalk by Simcha Rosemblatt as he was crossing Bay Pkwy at Bath Ave in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, NYC. He was rushed to the hospital where he died two days later of his injuries.

Read more in the NY Daily News