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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Helicopter tour ManhattanA devastating helicopter crash in New York City has claimed the lives of six people, including Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, along with his wife, children, and the pilot. The April 10 tragedy occurred just after 3:15 p.m. when a Bell 206 helicopter operated by New York Helicopter plummeted upside down into the Hudson River during a sightseeing tour. Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene; two later died in the hospital.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the victims included two adults and three children visiting from Spain, along with the pilot. The flight was operated by a private tour company offering aerial views of Manhattan — a form of tourism that has drawn increasing scrutiny due to safety concerns.

Helicopter Crashes: Legal Accountability and Recourse

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Deadly Bronx Intersection of E 149th St & Morris AveA 52-year-old pedestrian, Inza Fofana, tragically died after being struck by a van while crossing the street at E. 149th Street and Morris Avenue in Mott Haven. The fatal crash occurred around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday when a 2019 Ford Transit van, driven by a 48-year-old man, was attempting a left turn onto Morris Avenue. Fofana was transported to Lincoln Hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries.

As Bronx car accident lawyers who have handled numerous pedestrian fatality cases, we understand how common and devastating these left-turn collisions can be — particularly at intersections like E. 149th and Morris, which see high volumes of foot and vehicle traffic. Left-turn crashes are notoriously dangerous for pedestrians due to limited visibility, driver inattention, and misjudgment of speed or distance.

In many of the pedestrian accident cases we handle, the victims were lawfully crossing the street when they were hit by drivers who either failed to yield or were not exercising due care. Investigations may take time, and fault is not always immediately assigned, but under New York law, drivers have a legal duty to watch for pedestrians and avoid collisions, even when the pedestrian is not in a marked crosswalk.

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2025-Plaintiff-Consumer-Lawyer-shopGair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is proud to announce that seven of its attorneys have been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list. This prestigious recognition honors the most accomplished attorneys in the nation who represent plaintiffs in personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, mass torts, and consumer fraud cases.

The following attorneys from our firm have earned a place on this year’s Lawdragon 500:

  • Marijo Adimey – Known for her expertise in complex medical malpractice and catastrophic injury litigation.

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Location of the hit and run accident on Court Street and Atlantic AveA 4-year-old boy is recovering from his injuries after being struck by an SUV in a hit-and-run crash that occurred Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. According to the NYPD, the crash happened just before 5 p.m. as the child was crossing the street with his family.

Police say the driver was traveling eastbound on Court Street in a right-turn-only lane but failed to turn, instead continuing straight through the intersection—illegally—before hitting the child in the ankle. The driver then made a left onto Atlantic Avenue and fled the scene without stopping. The young victim was transported to Cobble Hill Hospital in stable condition.

As Brooklyn car accident lawyers who have handled countless cases involving reckless drivers and unsafe intersections, we are deeply troubled by yet another preventable crash at this notoriously chaotic crossing.

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location of the crane accident in ManhattanOn the afternoon of April 4, 2025, a harrowing crane accident in Midtown Manhattan nearly turned catastrophic. Around 3:00 PM, two small cranes collapsed at a construction site on Ninth Avenue and West 38th Street, sending metal and debris crashing down onto sidewalk scaffolding and even shearing off a nearby tree​.

On the afternoon of April 4, 2025, a harrowing crane accident in Midtown Manhattan nearly turned catastrophic. Around 3:00 PM, two small cranes collapsed at a construction site on Ninth Avenue and West 38th Street, sending metal and debris crashing down onto sidewalk scaffolding and even shearing off a nearby tree. According to officials, a mini “spyder” crane positioned on the roof was hoisting a second small crane from the 9th floor up to the 10th floor when the rooftop crane suddenly became dislodged. This caused both pieces of equipment to plummet off the building, smashing through the sidewalk shed below. In an instant, tons of steel came raining down in a busy Manhattan neighborhood.

Remarkably – and fortunately – no injuries were reported in this incident. Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows a family walking along Ninth Avenue, only to break into a sprint as the scaffolding begins to collapse behind them. In the video, you can see debris exploding onto the sidewalk and street as the family and other pedestrians run for their lives. It’s a chilling reminder of how close this accident came to causing serious harm. As FDNY officials noted, it was “an incredibly lucky day” – the collapse occurred just two blocks from Times Square, an area where hundreds of people walk by every minute, and it is truly fortunate that no one was caught under the falling cranes and rubble. Ninth Avenue was shut down as a precaution, and officials began the painstaking work of securing the area and investigating how this near-disaster occurred.

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Building that collapsed in Yonkers NYLast night in Yonkers, New York, a massive boulder dislodged from a hillside and crashed into a two-story commercial building on Saw Mill River Road, causing a structural collapse and fuel spill. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the damage underscores the real and often overlooked dangers of placing buildings in close proximity to unstable terrain. As New York building collapse attorneys, we’re paying close attention to the implications.

The Collapse: What Happened?

The building, owned by Peterson Tool Rental—a trusted local business since 1953—was used to store heavy construction equipment such as Bobcats. Around 7 a.m. on Monday, first responders discovered that the southern portion of the building had completely collapsed after a boulder tore through the rear wall overnight. Officials suspect recent rainstorms loosened the hillside, dislodging the boulder embedded in the slope above the property.

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Winter Storm in NYC keep most New Yorkers indoorPedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and motor vehicle occupant fatalities declined in New York City during the first quarter.

While Mayor Adams Celebrates Progress Under Vision Zero, Winter Weather May Be the Unsung Hero

Officials are celebrating a sharp and historic drop in traffic fatalities during the first quarter of 2025. According to a recent announcement by Mayor Eric Adams and DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, 41 people died in traffic crashes between January and March—down from 65 during the same period last year, and the second lowest Q1 total since records began.

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BX 41 MTA BUS similar to the one involved in the accidentOn Tuesday morning, 16 people were injured in a serious collision involving a Bx41 MTA bus and a Department of Sanitation (DSNY) vehicle near Webster Avenue and East 187th Street in Belmont, the FDNY confirmed. All victims were transported to SBH Health System with injuries reported as non-life-threatening.

At Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, our attorneys are closely following the investigation into this crash. With decades of experience representing victims of MTA bus collisions and other municipal vehicle accidents in the Bronx, our team understands the complex issues of liability that arise when government entities like the MTA and DSNY are involved.

What We Know About the Belmont Crash

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Our patient Morgan Wang suffered catastrophic personal InjuryIf you’ve sustained a serious injury in an accident in New York—whether in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, or elsewhere across the state—you may be questioning whether you have the grounds to pursue a personal injury claim. The answer depends on several legal and factual considerations. Below, our experienced New York personal injury attorneys outline the core criteria that determine whether a case is viable under state law.

What Qualifies as a Personal Injury Case in New York?

A personal injury case arises when someone suffers significant harm as a result of another party’s negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct. In New York, personal injury claims typically stem from high-impact incidents, including:

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AI in Healthcare is a major safety concernAs experienced New York medical malpractice attorneys, we closely monitor developments that could affect patient safety. One of the most pressing issues in 2025 is the insufficient governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare—ranked #2 on ECRI’s list of the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns. While AI technologies have the potential to improve outcomes and streamline care, their unregulated use poses serious risks to patients across hospitals, surgical centers, and outpatient clinics throughout New York.

The Promise and the Peril of AI in Medicine

AI is increasingly integrated into healthcare: from interpreting radiology scans and generating clinical notes to assisting in diagnosis and patient scheduling. While these tools offer undeniable advantages—including increased efficiency, reduced clinician burnout, and improved decision-making—they also introduce new types of risk. AI models can be biased, opaque, and difficult to audit. And when AI makes mistakes, the consequences can be devastating.