wrongful death NYC

Published on: June 19, 2015

Following the death of 8 year old Noshat Nahian whose family is represented by our personal injury law firm, The New York State Senate passed the Gianaris bill, new legislation that stiffens penalties for motorists who injure and kill people while driving without a valid license

A bill that makes it a felony for drivers to kill or injure others while driving without a license was passed yesterday by the New York State Senate. The bill was introduced by state Senator Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) following the death of Noshat Nahian, an 8 year old pedestrian who was on his way to school when he was fatally struck by a tractor-trailer driven by an unlicensed driver. Our partner, personal injury lawyer Anthony Gair (picture) who is in charge of the case commented: “This is a very important bill and long over due. In this tragic case, all charges against the driver were dismissed except for driving without a licence for which he paid an $85 fine. This is outrageous in a case in which Noshat was in the crosswalk with the right of way and easily visible at the time the tractor trailer turned left striking him. Hopefully the law will also discourage commercial carriers from hiring unlicensed truck drivers.” Read more in the Times Ledger

Published on: June 8, 2015

A young pedestrian suffered minor injury in a car accident at the intersection of Prospect Park West and Third St in Brooklyn, NYC, where another boy was killed in 2013

By GGCRBHS&M

Lowering the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph on Prospect Park West may have saved the life of 5 year old Roark Bennett who was hit by a car at the exact same spot where 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein was fatally struck by a car two years earlier. After the death of her son, Amy Cohen became a Vision Zero activist and successfully campaigned to lower the speed limit on Prospect Park West from 30 mph to 25 mph. Yesterday when Roark Bennett escaped from his parents and ran out in the street against the light, the driver who hit him was travelling at the speed limit and thankfully Roark suffered only minor injuries. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: May 14, 2015

Construction worker dies from head trauma after falling from scaffolding in the Bronx, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

Domikick Deluca, a 25 year old construction worker, died after falling from scaffolding yesterday. The young worker was doing facade work at the Butler Houses on Webster Ave in Claremont in the Bronx when he lost his footing and fell 15 feet . He landed on his head and was transported to the hospital unresponsive and with severe trauma. He was declared dead when he arrived at the hospital. This construction worker is the 8th person to die in a construction accident in New York City since the beginning of the year (see previous blog) .

Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: May 5, 2015

A 44 year old construction worker fell from a ladder in Brooklyn, New York City causing his death

By GGCRBHS&M

Shulem Benyosef suffered fatal injuries after he fell from a ladder at a construction site in Brooklyn, NYC. the 44 year old man was married and the father of two children. He was working on a rooftop at 449 20th Street in Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn when the accident happened. Shulem was standing on the ladder when he fell from at least 30 feet. Paramedics found him on the ground with serious head trauma. He was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Read more in JP Updates and the NY Daily News

Published on: March 13, 2015

As part as the Vision Zero Initiative to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries, the mayor’s preliminary budget is allocating $250 million over 4 years to redesign 4 of the most dangerous streets in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Four NYC streets that have a very high pedestrian fatality rate may be completely redesigned and reconstructed in a safer way over the next four years. According to mayor de Blasio’s preliminary budget, 100 million will be allocated to make Queens Boulevard safer and the other 150 million will be allocated to Fourth Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn as well as the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. These four streets have been identified as some of the most deadly streets in New York City and even though some safety upgrades such as lower speed limits and speed cameras have already been implemented, the city is planning to completely redesign them. According to officials, theses safety improvements should lead to a reduction of 30 to 40% of deaths and injuries on these streets. Read more in Transportation Nation
Picture: Mayor de Blasio and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg

Published on: March 10, 2015

A New York grandmother with dementia died from an accident that she caused after pulling her granddaughter’s hair while she was driving

By GGCRBHS&M

26 year old Jessica Labetti was driving on Four Corner Rd in Long Island New York when she crashed into a stone wall after being distracted by her 88 year old grandmother who suffers from dementia. As Labetti was driving, her grandmother, who was sitting in the back seat suddenly pulled her hair. Labetti jolted, lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a wall. The granddaughter suffered minor injuries. Her grandmother was transported to the hospital in critical condition where she later died. Labetti was driving with a suspended licensed and was charged and arrested by the police. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: March 4, 2015

20 year old pedestrian dies in a truck accident in New York

By GGCRBHS&M

A tractor trailer fatally hit a young man who was crossing a street in the Bronx, NYC, Tuesday night. The truck accident happened around 10.20 pm. 20 year old Kenny Valette was crossing Webster Ave near E. 174 Street when he was struck by a large truck that was making a right turn from the Cross Bronx Expressway exit ramp. The drivers remained at the scene while Valette was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries. Read more in the NY Daily News.

According to NYCcrashmapper.com, 1 pedestrian, 11 passengers and 3 vehicle drivers suffered personal injury in 29 collisions that took place at the intersection of East 174 street and Webster Ave between August 2011 and February 2014. As shown in the Heat map this intersection is very dangerous.

Published on: February 26, 2015

The driver who killed a woman in a New York car accident on New Year’s Day was was not only speeding but also was drunk and high on Marijuana and ketamine

By GGCRBHS&M

Investigators in a car accident that resulted in the death of 27 year old Pamela Pimentel determined that when Hernan Vega crashed into the victim’s cab he was driving at a speed of 107 mph in a street in the Bronx, NYC. Additionally a blood exam showed that the driver’s alcohol level was .14 and that he was also high on marijuana and ketamine a powerful animal tranquilizer. In a pretrial hearing, Vega was slapped with two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Read more in the NY Daily News

Published on: February 24, 2015

A pedestrian died after being struck by a hit and run driver in Queens, NYC, on Sunday night, that’s the second hit an run in Queens in one day

By GGCRBHS&M

A woman in her 2o’s was crossing the street at the intersection of 76th Street and Woodisde in Queens, New York City, on Sunday night when she was struck and killed by the driver of a box truck. The driver of the truck hit the victim as he was turning onto Woodside Avenue but he didn’t stop. He drove away leaving the woman to die in the street. A witness at the scene followed the box truck for a few blocks, stopped the driver and managed to hold him until the police arrived. The police arrested the driver, 27 year old Valentine Gonzalez and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving without a license. Earlier in the day in Queens another woman was struck by a hit and run driver (see previous post)

An 83 year old pedestrian died after being struck by a car as he was crossing a busy avenue of Brooklyn, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

A 27 year old driver struck and killed an 83 year old pedestrian last Thursday night in Brooklyn, NYC. Isaak Trakhtenberg was trying to cross busy Pennsylvania Ave between Two Pines and Shroeders. He had already made it to the middle of the avenue and was standing on a concrete median that divides the southbound and the northbound lanes. He was hit by the car of the young driver as he stepped in the southbound lane. The driver stayed at the scene and wasn’t charged. The pedestrian was taken to the hospital where he died.

Picture source: Google