New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog

Published on: March 6, 2014

Product Liability: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sends a list of 107 questions to General Motors

Following General Motors car recalls related to a defective ignition switch, The NHTSA has opened a Timeless Query, TQ14-001 and sent a Special Order to GM with a list of 107 questions that must be answered by April 3rd 2014.
In a recent article in the New York Times, Christopher Jensen looks at some of the most interesting and unusual questions.

Published on: March 6, 2014

7 people suffered personal injury in car accident after cops chase motorist who refused to pull over

By GGCRBHS&M

A car accident that left 7 people injured in Queens, NYC, this weekend is being investigated by NYPD Internal Affairs. Joseph Barriga who was driving a car even though his license had been revoked after 20 suspensions was spotted by the Queens Gang Squad after he blew a stop sign. The cops who were driving an unmarked car tried to pull him over but instead Bariga hit the gas and the cops started to chase him. After a minute of chase the cops were told by their superior to terminate the chase. Two minutes later Barriga blew a red light and slammed into a car with five people in the car. It is not clear if the cops stopped the chase when instructed but they were a block away from the car when the accident happened.

Barriga was charged with reckless endangerment, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and several other violations. No disciplinary actions have yet been taken against the cops involved.

Failure to diagnose colorectal cancer timely can have deadly consequences

By GGCRBHS&M

Failure to diagnose colorectal cancer at an early stage often happens because patients are not properly educated or simply uncomfortable with the screening which consists of a colonoscopy during which a gastroenterologist will detect and remove precancerous polyps. 140,000 Americans are diagnosed every year with colorectal cancer which is the the third most deadly cancer in the US. All adults over 50 should have a colonoscopy. Colon cancer can be effectively treated if diagnosed early. We believe it should be done at 45.

To better educated patients, The Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, NY will display The Rollin’ Colon a 20 foot long inflatable colon that shows the normal colon lining as well as the potential diseases that can affect it.

Two pedestrians injured after being struck by a drunk fireman in the Bronx, NY

By GGCRBHS&M

Sean Farrell was drunk when he struck two pedestrians in a crosswalk with his car yesterday night in the Bronx, NY. The police determined that Farrell, a city firefighter was drunk as he refused to take a breathalyzer test. Farell was charged with an elevated DWI charge because it is the second time in less than 10 years that he has been caught while driving while intoxicated.

To better protect Road Users from Dangerous Drivers and potential Car Accidents, New York Governor announces that Prosecutors will now have Access to Past Driving Information Tickets

By GGCRBHS&M

To reduce the number of car accidents on New York roads and identify drivers with a pattern of dangerous driving, Governor Cuomo announced Today that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will now provide prosecutors with information about drivers’ ticket history so they can make a better judgement when looking at a plea for a current driving charge.

So far New York prosecutors were only able to access convictions.

In New York it is common practice for courts and prosecutors to allow drivers charged with a speeding offense to plead those charges down to lesser offenses such as a parking violation. Because prosecutors were missing drivers’ ticket history, potentially dangerous drivers were taking advantage of this loophole to avoid harsher prosecution and stay on the road.

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Published on: March 5, 2014

Connecticut Governor says Metro North’s preliminary 100-Day Improvement Plan to improve safety and prevent train accidents is not specific enough

By GGCRBHS&M

After Metro North was involved in two catastrophic train accidents including a fatal one in the Bronx, NY, the new Metro North president Joseph Giulietti gave Connecticut’s Transportation Commissioner James Redeker a preliminary 100-Day Improvement Plan that focuses on rebuilding a culture of safety in Metro North. The plan proposes the re-establishment of a safety department, the creation of a data analysis unit as well as improved training programs for employees. In his letter to Commissioner Redeker, Giulietti mentioned that he was also waiting for external reviews from the MTA, the FRA and the NTSB to be able to understand all issues and take proper corrective action.

In a statement the Governor of Connecticut, Dannel Mallloy criticised the action plan saying it was not specific enough and that “riders need to know that there is a plan with benchmarks and deadlines in place” .

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx advocates for better infrastructure to reduce the number of deaths and personal injuries related to bicycle accidents

By GGCRBHS&M

I didn’t tolerate pedestrian and bicycle accident fatalities when I was a mayor in Charlotte and I will not tolerate them either as US Secretary of Transportation said Anthony Foxx in a speech yesterday at the National Bike Summit.

Foxx supports safe roads for all users and emphasises that more and more Americans are using their bikes not only for recreation but also as an economical source of transportation.

Foxx also asks for support of President Obama’s $302 billion proposal for American Transportation that includes increased resources for bicycle and pedestrian programs.

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Published on: March 4, 2014

22% of patients transfered from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility experience adverse events, 11% experience temporary arm events. 59% of all these events are preventable. They cost Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars every month

By GGCRBHS&M

skilled%20nursing%20facility.jpg Nursing home negligence such as substandard treatment, inadequate monitoring of patients or failure and delay to provide necessary care are the main causes of preventable adverse events and temporary arm events for patients requiring post acute care in a skilled nursing facility according to a large study conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

The study looked at a sample of 653 Medicare beneficiaries discharged from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) for post-acute care and who stayed at the nursing home no longer than 35 days.

The study found that 22% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced at least one adverse event during their stay. A small percentage of patients experienced 2 to 3 adverse events during their stay.

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Published on: March 4, 2014

Hit and Run driver faces jail time after admiting leaving the scene of a deadly car accident in Staten Island, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

A 34 year old man who fatally struck a 4 year old girl and left the scene of the accident in Staten Island is facing time in jail. The victim and her family were crossing in the middle of the road at a good distance from the corner when the man drove into them. He continued on his way and didn’t turn himself to the police until 16 hours later.

To reduce auto accidents resulting in pedestrian and bicyclist personal injury and death the NYPD launches ticket blitz for double parking or parking on bike lanes in several NYC preccints

By GGCRBHS&M

In NYC, auto accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists have a higher risk of occurring when cars or other vehicles are double parked or parked on a bike lane. As part of the Vision Zero traffic initiative mandated by the New York mayor, precincts in the city are launching ticket blitzes against drivers who are double parking or parking on bike lane lanes. One started today in Washington Heights and targeted drivers parking illegally on West 181st Street. Also Today In Park Slope, Brooklyn, the 78th precinct cops who were recently targeting drivers failing to yield turned their attention to drivers illegally parked on the bike lanes. We also previously reported similar activity on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Columbus Ave.