Personal Injury

Published on: September 29, 2022

Traffic Accidents Fatalities reached record high in New York City this summer

17 pedestrians, 4 cyclists, 14 passengers and 22 motorists died in auto accidents in NYC during the two hottest months of the summer. Truck accidents were close to record highs while bus accidents were slightly lower than usual.

35 people died in car accidents in New York City in July and 22 in August for a total of 57 fatalities compared to respectively 51, 42, 39, 32, 43, 44, 41, 50 and 56 during the months of July and August 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. The number of fatalities was even higher this summer than what it was during the summer of 2013 before Vision Zero started.

The month of July was particularly bad with a record 35 people dying during this month. The only time since 2013 that this number of people were killed in traffic accidents was in September 2020. Since the Covid19 crisis of 2020, traffic accidents fatalities have been much higher than what they were the years before. Among those who died in July were 11 pedestrians, 3 cyclists, 7 motor vehicle passengers and 14 motor vehicle operators. The number of motor vehicle operator deaths in July reached a level never seen since the beginning of Vision Zero except again in September 2020.

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Published on: August 29, 2022

NYC Woman suffers personal injury after falling from her bathroom floor to the basement in badly maintained Bronx building

By GGCRBHS&M

The poor maintenance of a NYC residential building caused a woman to fall to the basement of her building after a bathroom floor collapsed. The woman was injured and is now recovering in the hospital. After the accident occurred, the Department of Buildings came to the premises located on Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx and started an investigation of the premises. They found that a lack of maintenance lead to a collapse of the portion of the bathroom floor to the basement. A partial vacate order was issued and the landlord was issued a violation for failure to maintain his property. The DOB also ordered him to hire a professional engineer to produce a report on the structural stability of the other floors of the apartment.

Other tenants are scared for their life

While the DOB focused mostly on the apartment where the accident occurred, a CBS crew went to visit the tenants on other floors and the video below shows that the entire building is in serious need of repair. Other tenants are concerned that the same accident may occur to them as well and do not feel safe in their apartments. They have been complaining to the landlord for years about the need for maintenance but the landlord has not done anything. Leeks are everywhere, bathroom ceilings are destroyed, and when it rains, water is pouring on the stairways and in the apartment of a tenant. Doors that can not be closed so damaged they are by water, broken sink, tiles that barely hold on the walls of showers in multiple apartments visited by the tv crew show a building in total disrepair and in real need of maintenance.

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Published on: August 29, 2022

2 people injured in another MTA Bus Accident in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Two people suffered personal injury after a MTA Bus crashed into a light pole in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday around 7:30 pm. The accident occurred at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 58th Street. The driver of the M103 bus made a too sharp turn and hit a light pole that then crashed into the street. A 90 year old passenger suffered head injury and is in stable condition at the hospital. The driver also suffered injury and was hospitalized to be evaluated.

Earlier this month another MTA Bus accident in the Bronx caused 13 people to be injured. According to MTA officials, the driver of the bus suffered a medical condition and crashed into a subway pillar on Boston Road, near the intersection of East Tremont Avenue. According to MTA, the driver had been with them since 2008. She had passed her biannual physical exam and had been declared fit to drive. She suffered critical injury during the accident and was found at the scene of the accident unconscious and unresponsive.

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Published on: August 29, 2022

Battery problems with the Medtronic HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) causes 6 more patients to suffer personal injury and another one to die

By GGCRBHS&M

Medtronic HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) device caused the wrongful death of more than 3,000 people since it was introduced on the market more than 10 years ago. The sale and distribution of the heart pump was stopped in June last year but many patients still have the pump implanted in them. Now some of the batteries powering the device might be deadly too.

Medtronic announced last May that a model of battery that was powering the Medtronic HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) was defective and that it could cause serious personal injury or death if it was not changed for a new battery. An urgent Medical Device Correction letter was sent out by Medtronic to all affected customers on May 5th recalling 429 devices manufactured in April 2021. Then a month later, after the company received 1,159 complaints including 6 injuries and one death, the recall of the same model of batteries was extended to those that were distributed since January 2009.

The recall affects 23,372 Medtronic HVDA Batteries with model number 1650DE that were distributed between January 1st 2009 and now

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Published on: August 22, 2022

Peter Saghir and Ben Rubinowitz served as faculty at the 2022 Legal Services Advocacy Program in New York

By GGCRBHS&M

Last week our partner Peter Saghir and our managing partner Ben Rubinowitz served as faculty at the American Bar Association (ABA) Litigation Section and National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) Legal Services Advocacy Program held in New York City. This program offers free two-day intensive trial advocacy training to attorneys who do not usually have access to this type of training.

During the workshop, Peter and Ben volunteered their time to train lawyers in the art of trial advocacy who work at various services for indigent clients including Prisoners Legal Services of New York, The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Bronx legal services, Queens legal services, The Urban Justice Center, The Brooklyn defender services, The Federal Public Defender, and Staten Island legal services.

Published on: August 22, 2022

Drunk driver critically injure 3 pedestrians in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

3 pedestrians are in critical condition after a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into them in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC.

The accident occurred around 4:20 am early Saturday morning at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 86th Street. A video surveillance shows the 3 young men aged 25, 28 and 32, chatting at the corner of the intersection of the two streets when suddenly a SUV traveling at a high rate of speed lost control of his vehicle as he was trying to pass another car and slammed into the pedestrians.

The 23 year old driver of the SUV was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with DWI.

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Published on: August 18, 2022

9 of our personal injury attorneys named “Best Lawyers” and 4 named “Ones to Watch” in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America

By GGCRBHS&M

Congratulations to the 13 attorneys at our New York Personal Injury Law Firm who have been included in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America:

BEST LAWYERS New York, NY 2023

- Marijo C. Adimey (listed for the first time in 2016)

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Published on: August 15, 2022

Ben Rubinowitz to be a faculty member at “Case Framing: How to Identify and Prove Good “I Just Can’t Get Over” Issues, and How to Overcome Bad Ones” Webinar

By GGCRBHS&M

Come to listen to our partner Ben Rubinowitz and other trial legends including Mark Mandell, Judy Livingston, Paul Luvera and Danielle Mason as they discuss the Case Framing theory and give you guidance on identifying issues that jurors “just can’t get over,” proving good issues, and overcoming bad issues. You’ll learn about the science behind case framing, how to adjust your discovery, and turning seemingly negative facts into facts that work to your advantage.

This webinar organized by the American Association for Justice will take place on Thursday, September 29,2022 between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm with the following Agenda:

Welcome Announcements

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Published on: August 10, 2022

To reduce truck accidents in New York City, the NYC DOT and Vision Zero launches the TRUCK SMART Campaign

By GGCRBHS&M

While trucks remain essential in new York City, they pose a serious risk to other road users in particular to pedestrians and cyclists. According to statistics, 67% of truck accidents involving a cyclist or a pedestrian result in serious injury or death.

The largest the truck, the most dangerous it is

Large blind angles can hide pedestrians and cyclists when they stand in front or on the side of a truck. Additionnally the heaviest a truck is, the longest it will take for the truck to stop.

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Published on: August 5, 2022

A 5 year old girl and a 36 year old girlfriend were killed while the dad was critically injured in E-bike battery fire in Harlem, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

An e-bike battery explosion caused a deadly fire in Harlem, NYC, inside NYCHA’s Jackie Robinson Houses.

5 year old Erika Williams was sleeping in a an apartment with her dad Erik Williams and his 36 year old girlfriend Chanise Anderson when a little after 2:30 am on Wednesday morning, the lithium battery of an e-bike stored next to the apartment entrance door exploded and created a fire.

The fire and heavy smoke prevented the toddler and the girlfriend to escape while the father covered in flames ran into the hallway screaming for help. He is still in the hospital in critical condition. The 5 year old girl and the girlfriend both died. 3 dogs also died in the fire.

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