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.

Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

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After two fatal crane accidents killed several people in Manhattan in 2008, 65 safety fixes were identified by consultants but only 8 (12%) of them were implemented, 17 (26%) were partially implemented, 18 (28%) were in progress and 22 (34%) had not been implemented according to a recent audit by New York City Controller Scott Stringer.

In 2008 the Building Department paid CTL Engineers & Construction Technology Consultants $3.9 million to prepare proposals on how to improve safety at New York construction sites and avoid catastrophic crane accidents such as the collapse of a 300-foot crane that killed 7 people on East 51st Street in Manhattan or the collapse of another crane that killed two construction workers 2 months later. The consultants provided a list of 65 recommendations and were paid another $1.9 million to assist the DOB with the implementation of these recommendations. They were supposed to have 49 of the 65 changes implemented in the next two years but they fell far short of that according to Stringer’s investigation.

The audit identified serious weakness in the New York Cit Department Building Oversight that costed tax payers million of dollars.

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A 27 year old driver was killed after he struck a Jersey Barrier on the Belt Parkway in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, NYC. Because he hit the Jersey Barrier at high speed, he then hit a guard rail and the car traveled across 3 lanes before striking another rail. The driver was then ejected from the car and fell on the highway, resulting in his death. The car continued to travel and fell off the elevated parkway onto the ground below. The fatal car crash happened last Monday around 2:00 am.

More information here

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87 year old Anthony Ledic and his 89 year old wife Milenka were exiting the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Queens, NYC, when the fatal car accident happened. Anthony Ledic lost control of his station wagon and struck another car before slaming into the light pole. The impact was so violent that the couple died at the scene of the accident.
Read more in the NY Daily News

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Edgar Torres, 40, had the light and was in the crosswalk when he was hit and killed by a MTA bus that didn’t yield. The accident happened at the dangerous intersection of Myrtle Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto Street, steps away from the location where 23 year old Ella Bandes was struck and killed by a bus in January 2013.

After the death of Ella Bandes, The NYC Department of Transportation added some safety improvements but didn’t change the bus routes. There are 6 bus routes crossing the intersection and 5 of them require drivers to turn around and restart their route in the other direction.

Edgar Torres is the sixth pedestrian to be killed by a MTA Bus this year in New York City.

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Richard Romano Santos and Gerrard Herbert were both drunk when they crashed into each other on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NYC, a few months ago. Michelle Mignot who was lying down on the back seat of Herbert’s car was killed during the accident. Both men were charged together for the death of Michelle Mignot and they are facing up to 15 years in jail.
Read more in CBS New York

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21 year old Dyasha Phelps Smith, a special need student, died after choking on a muffin two days ago at the School for International Studies on Baltic St. in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NYC. The young woman was eating a muffin in a classroom when she started to choke. She was rushed by paramedics to the Hospital where she died. According to the mother, her daughter was attending a special education program housed within the school for International Studies during which she was supposed to receive one-to-one attention. The mother also said to the NY Daily News that the school didn’t tell her that her daughter was dead. She learned it from the doctors at the hospital.

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Ben%20Rubinowitz%20and%20Evan%20Torgan.jpgIn their Trial Advocacy column, New York Personal Injury Attorneys Ben Rubinowitz and Evan Torgan write that obtaining a just and proper award from a jury for pain and suffering in a wrongful death case can be challenging. An effective trial attorney must thoroughly prepare for all stages of the trial, including a voir dire that explores the feelings and beliefs of the potential jurors, and a strong summation that relates those feelings and beliefs to the evidence.

Read the complete article in the New York Law Journal
or Download it here.

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167 people, including 80 pedestrians, 15 cyclists, 17 vehicle passengers and 55 motorists died in traffic accidents in New York City between the beginning of January and the end of August 2013 compared to a total of 177 including 96 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 18 vehicle passengers and 56 motorists for the same period of time in 2013. The number of motorists and passengers vehicle deaths is stable while pedestrian deaths have been declining following some intense Zero Vision campaigning. However not everything looks good in this picture: the number of cyclists dying in traffic accidents more than doubled during that time.

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A 70 year old woman was fatally hit by a SUV in Chinatown early this morning. According to the NY Daily news, the SUV driver was waiting at a red light on Elizabeth Street and Canal. When the light turned green, the man started to drive. He didn’t see the woman crossing in front of the car and hit her.

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The nyccrashmapper.com heat map highlights how dangerous Canal Street is. There is an average of 2.71 accidents per month at the intersection where the woman was hit by the SUV.

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ATV.jpgA man driving his ATV in the Bronx, NYC died in the hospital after he was inadvertently rear ended by his friend who was also driving an ATV. None of the two men were wearing a helmet when the accident happened. The friend who suffered a leg injury was charged with reckless endangerment and reckless driving and was issued violations for unregistered reckless driving, riding without an authorized helmet, and for having no insurance. Read more in the New York Post