More than 3000 people die every year in distracted driving accidents but some reckless drivers don’t seem to care. The new “trendy” thing to do is to post Driving Selfies on Instagram and other social media sites. This afternoon research for #drivingselfie on Instagram returned 3,774 posts, #drivingselfies 1,886 posts #drivingtowork 9,826 posts and #hopeidontcrash 730 posts.
These reckless drivers are unnecessarily risking their lives and the lives of innocent people. Driving is not a game.
Another pedestrian was killed in a car accident in New York. A 74 year old woman was in a crosswalk on E. 141st street in South Bronx when she was hit by an SUV heading South on Beekman Street. She suffered a severe head injury and died at the hospital.
After striking the pedestrian, the SUV jumped the curb and ran into a building. The driver, a 47 year old woman and her passenger, an 8 year old girl suffered minor injuries.
Read more in the New York Daily News
Cases of serious personal injury such as small holes in the stomach and colon, colon blockage, blood poisoning and death have been reported in recent years to the CPSC after children swallowed two or more tiny magnetic stacking balls that attracted one another internally.
High-powered magnetic stacking balls such as Buckyballs,® are marketed to adults as a desk toy and stress reliever. They are used to create patterns and build shapes. They are usually sold in sets of 200 pieces or more in stationery, office supply and gift stores, and also on the Internet.
Even though they are prohibited for children younger than 14, growing reports of incidents led the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall Buckyball sets of tiny magnetic stacking balls declaring them a swallowing hazard to young children.
In 2014 medical malpractice will represent $0.60 per every $100 of hospital revenue or an average of $135 per hospital admission according to “Hospital and Physician Professional Liability Benchmark report” recently released by Aon and the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management.
According to the report the number of medical malpractice claims and their costs are expected to remain stable in 2014.
Because a defective sensor may cause the car to brake on its own, Honda is recalling its Odyssey minivans from the 2007 and 2008 model years. Honda will install a new sensor on all recalled models. However new sensors will not be available until the spring of 2014.
In the meantime Honda recommends to minivan owners to start their vehicle with the wheels facing straight ahead, allowing the system to properly recalibrate. Drivers who experience unexpected braking should stop and restart the minivan. Tapping on the brake pedal “will immediately stop the self-braking action,” Honda said.
So far no injury or crash has been reported.
Here is the 2014 top 10 Health Technology Hazards just released by the ECRI Institute. This list is developed every year and highlights the health technology safety topics that the ECRI Institute’s Health Devices Group believes warrant the most attention for the coming year.
TOP 10 HEALTH TECHNOLOGY HAZARDS FOR 2014
1. Alarm Hazards (click on infographic to enlarge)
Carbon monoxide exposure can lead to serious personal injury and sometimes to death. In New York, 7 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning between 2005 and 2007. 370 people visited the emergency room and 50 people were seriously injured and hospitalized for the same reason during the same period. In 25% of cases related to carbon monoxide exposure the source was the fuel-burning equipment and appliances in the home such as boilers and stoves. For most of the other cases fire was the source of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In order to prevent this type of accident, the NYC Department of Health is recommending that all fuel-burning equipment in the home – furnaces, boilers and hot water heaters – be inspected annually by a professional. New Yorkers should also change all the batteries in their carbon monoxide and smoke detectors to protect themselves.
For more information visit the NYC Department of Health website.
A young father died in front of his family after being struck by a crazy driver racing down a sidewalk in the Bronx, New York. Startling video shows the enraged driver racing a dark green 1998 Toyota Sienna down the sidewalk on E. 233rd St. in Wakefield as panicked families ran for cover. Seconds later, construction worker Derrick Callender, 32, was fatally struck
Read more and look at the video in the New York Daily News
A sanitation worker had his legs crushed in a terrible truck accident that happened Friday in the Bronx. As he was turning left, the garbage truck driver hit a pillar. His door was open and the impact caused the driver to be ejected from the cab. He landed under the still moving vehicle. His legs were crushed. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Read more in the New York Daily News.
Gair, Conason, Steigman, Mackauf, Bloom & Rubinowitz, a leading New York Personal Injury law firm, is proud to announce that it has been listed in six practice areas in the just released ranking of law firms by U.S. News Media Group, the publishers of U.S. News & World Report, and Best Lawyers®. This is the fourth edition of this highly-anticipated annual analysis. Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf was nationally ranked in the top tier in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs. The firm also ranked in the top tier in five legal specialties in the New York City Metropolitan Area: Legal Malpractice-Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice-Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Plaintiffs.
Inclusion in the “Best Law Firms” listing is based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes data collection, evaluation and feedback from thousands of clients, lawyers and law firm representatives spanning a wide range of practice areas nationwide.
“We are delighted that our firm has once again received this honor,” says Ben Rubinowitz, Managing Partner at the firm. “To be included in six practice areas is a testament to the hard work and endless dedication we give to our clients. At our firm there is nothing more important than the plight of our clients. We have always worked tirelessly to secure the very best results for those who have been seriously injured through the fault of others. We are honored to be recognized for our dedication and the superb results that we have achieved.”
New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog