Former Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz, also known as Gridlock Sam because he coined the term gridlock, believes the following measures would be effective in cutting down the number of pedestrian accidents in New York City.
Every year in NYC more than 45,000 seniors suffer personal injury that requires medical treatment after a fall. Around 28,000 of them visit the Emergency Room, 17,000 are hospitalized and 300 die from their injuries. As the New York aging population continues to grow so do the number of personal injuries related to falls. In the report Falls Among Older Adults in New York City, The New York Department of Health indicates that there was an increase of 22% of fall related emergency department visits by seniors between 2006 and 2010.
According to the statistics, senior New Yorkers fall mostly in their home, especially in the bedroom after tripping on throw rugs or taking too many prescription drugs. 48% of the injuries that require hospitalizations are fractures and 13% of then are traumatic brain injury. As a consequence 78% of senior people who are hospitalized after a fall require additional care upon discharge. Only 22% of them are sent home. 42% of them have to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility.
Older New Yorker who are in good shape usually fall less and recover faster from their injury.
Defective heaters can cause serious personal injury to consumers and should not be used. If you are using a portable heater please make sure that it has been tested under the latest safety standards and that it is not the subject of a recall. Recently Walmart and Sears recalled the the Kenmore Oscillating Fan Heater because it was posing a risk of fire and burns to consumers. A broken motor mount can cause the units to overheat, catch fire and ignite nearby items.
Read more on the CPSC website
When the power goes down, portable generators are very handy products but they are deadly if not used properly. Carbon monoxide poisoning from the the toxic engine exhaust can happen in minutes if a generator is used indoors! From 1999 to 2012, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received 547 reports of Carbon Monoxide Exposure incidents associated with portable generators. 732 people died as a result of these incidents (see CPSC Incidents, Deaths, and In-Depth Investigations Associated with Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide from Engine-Driven Generators and Other Engine-Driven Tools, 1999–2012).
Never use a portable generator in your garage, basement, crawlspace or sheds even if the windows are open.
The only way to use a portable generator properly is outside and at least 20 feets away from doors and windows. Make sure that the wind doesn’t blow CO into the house.
Gair Gair Conason Steigman Mackauf Bloom & Rubinowitz is pleased to announce that our Partner, Ben Rubinowitz has been asked to deliver a lecture on Medical Malpractice at the 37th Annual Winter Urologic Forum in Colorado this January. A Top New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Ben Rubinowitz and all of the lawyers at GGCSMB&R have successfully resolved thousands of medical malpractice cases for those who have been injured as a result of medical negligence.
Ben Rubinowitz explained that ” it is truly an honor to have the privilege of speaking to such a distinguished group of doctors. I always find it interesting that the physicians have asked a plaintiff’s lawyer rather than a defendant’s lawyer to deliver the National Lecture on Medical Malpractice.”
This year, in addition to lecturing about Medical Malpractice, Ben Rubinowitz will discuss the litigation surrounding the use of vaginal mesh for Pelvic Organ Prolapse.
A 68 year old pedestrian died in a car accident in Maspeth, New York after being struck by a 28 year old SUV driver who was driving without a license. The driver was charged with aggravated driving without a license. The Police said the driver made an illegal left turn onto Grand Avenue from 69th Place when he hit Angela Hurtado, 68, who was crossing Grand Avenue.
Read more about this nyc car accident in the Times Ledger
A sign indicates that left-hand turns are not permitted from 69th Place onto Grand Avenue. Photo by Christina Santucci
A woman suffered severe personal injury in a truck accident in New York last Saturday. The 63 year old woman was crossing Second Ave at 68th Street when she was struck and dragged by a cement mixer truck. Her leg was severed below the knee. The truck driver didn’t see the victim.
Unfortunately, every year, thousands of people are killed or sustain serious injuries in accidents involving commercial trucks and buses. Tragically, many of these accidents are the result of negligent truck and bus drivers and their employers. These accidents can result from poor driving, including the failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians, vehicles, bicyclists, failure to keep a proper lookout as well as other violations of the relevant vehicle and traffic laws. Some accidents also involve the failure to properly maintain and/or equip the involved truck or bus.
Read more about this truck Accident in DNA Info New York
45 year old Pedro Santiago died in a bicycle accident this week-end in Harlem, New York. The bicyclist was trying to pass an MTA bus when the driver pulled out of the bus stop and struck him. Pedro Santiago fell on the street and the bus ran over him. He died at the hospital from severe head and body injuries.
This is the first fatal bicycle accident in New York this year. There are more than 3,600 bicycle accidents in NYC every year and last year 17 people died after being involved in a bicycle accident in the city (see our previous blog). Most bicycle accidents happen when a motor vehicle fails to yield the right of way or suddenly makes a left turn into the path of a cyclist. In this case the Bus was pulling out of of a Bus stop. All too often bus drivers, who are forced to work long ours are not attentive to Bicyclists and pedestrians. We do not yet know the facts as to this accident. Since there was a fatality the accident will be intenively reconstructed by The N.Y.P.D. Collision Investigation Squad, formerly known as The Accident Investigation Squad.
Read more about this bicycle accident in the New York Post
A third pedestrian died in a car accident on 96th street yesterday. 26 year old Samantha Lee, an anesthesiology resident at Columbia University Medical Center was crossing mid-block on 96th street between Broadway and West End when she was clipped by the mirror of an Ambulance. She fell on her face and was then run over by another car. She died at the scene of the accident. This is a very dangerous street. One of the problems is that it has two lanes for traffic going both East and West. It crosses Central Park West to the Eastside. It is thus a heavily travelled street. We urge pedestrians to constantly look both East and West when crossing. Also try not to be on your cell phone while crossing. No talking and no texting. Having represented hundreds of pedestrians injured in car accidents we know that the injuries can be severe and even fatal. Be careful out there.
Read more in the New York Post
New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog