New York Injury Talk Blog

Dominick Tenuto, a Staten Island man who contracted paralytic polio 30 years ago when his 5-month-old daughter was vaccinated using a live virus, has been awarded $22.5 million in compensation. According to this news report, Tenuto, now 61, was seeking millions from Lederle Laboratories, the manufacturer of the vaccine, Orimune. Tenuto contracted polio a month after his daughter was vaccinated. He lost use of his legs. He also sued the estate of pediatrician Dr. Leroy Schwartz, but the jury only held Lederle liable in this case. Tenuto is still wheelchair-bound because of the drug related injury in Staten Island.

Adverse drug reactions or effects can seriously change our lives. Although all drugs have some form of side effects, it is the drug manufacturer's responsibility to make sure that consumers are aware of those adverse effects before they make a decision to use that drug. It's also a drug manufacturer's duty to ensure that it doesn't make or distribute dangerous or defective products.

If the drug is defective or if the drug manufacturer has not done a proper job of informing consumers about the possible side effects, then the drug maker can be held liable for injuries caused to the consumer. In the case of this Staten Island man, he was left with a permanent disability.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or if you have lost a loved one because of a defective drug or defective products, please call a skilled New York personal injury attorney at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro for a free consultation. We will remain on your side, fight for your rights and make sure you receive the compensation you rightfully deserve.

A woman is filing for medical malpractice in New York against a surgeon who mistakenly left a surgical sponge inside her brain. According to this UPI news report, 84-year-old Mary Pober’s family alleges that she is constantly at risk for serious head injuries since she lost a portion of her skull in a procedure to retrieve the forgotten sponge. The New York woman must wear a helmet forever because of the damage caused by the surgical sponge left in her head.

According to court documents, there is skin, but no bone covering Pober’s brain. So if she fell, that could become a fatal injury, or even a blow to the head could turn out to be fatal. The surgery in question occurred in September 2008 and was performed by Dr. Ron Alterman of Elmhurst Hospital.

Continue reading "New York Medical Malpractice Of Woman Suing Doctor Who Left Surgical Sponge In Her Head" »

Authorities in Staten Island have arrested a 24-year-old man who they say sped through a red light and slammed into a livery cab killing 50-year-old Mohamed Elnahal and his wife, 52-year-old Mervat Saad Ibrahim. According to this news report, Theodore Ricks is facing a number of charges including manslaughter in the second degree, unlicensed operation of a vehicle, leaving the scene of the accident and possession of marijuana. The car accident in Staten Island left one passenger in critical condition.

This is no doubt a tragic accident. This fatal crash has orphaned the couple’s teenage twin boys. In auto accidents where recklessness, negligence or wrongdoing is involved, families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death claim.

Continue reading "Staten Island Auto Accident Kills Couple " »

A woman was seriously injured on Broadway after she was struck by a car, which then crashed into a barrier and rolled over on Broadway at 120th Street. According to this news report, the vehicle was traveling south on Broadway when it hit the woman, slammed into the median and overturned, eventually coming to rest in the middle of the roadway. The female pedestrian was transported to an area hospital, the news report stated. The pedestrian accident in New York is under investigation.

Auto accidents could occur because of many reasons. In many cases, pedestrians or other motorists are injured or killed because of the other driver's negligence. Car crashes could be caused by driver error, an impaired motorist, a mechanical malfunction in the vehicle or even a defective auto product.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a New York auto accident, it is very important that you contact a top New York car accident lawyer to find out about your legal rights and options. If your injuries were caused by a negligent driver or a defective product, you may be entitled to significant compensation to cover medical costs, loss of wages and other damages.

A skilled New York personal injury lawyer will take a comprehensive look at all the different factors that may have caused your auto accident, analyze all angles and obtain the best possible result in your case. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in New York, please call Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro for a free consultation and case evaluation.

Richard Cunningham, 20, was killed in a Sunday night Belle Terre automobile accident that also injured two others, according to an article from the Newsday website. Cunningham reportedly failed to negotiate a curve and crossed lanes hitting an oncoming 2008 Lincoln Navigator.

The two car collision happened on Cliff Road when Cunningham, headed south in his 1992 Ford Mustang, lost control of his car on a curve and hit the Navigator that was being driven by 43-year-old Jeffrey Brett, a Port Jefferson resident. Cunningham died at the scene of the crash and an unidentified passenger in his car whose injuries were described as non-life threatening was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center for treatment, officials said. Brett was also treated for minor injuries. Sixth Squad detectives are investigating this car accident in New York and have impounded both cars.

Continue reading "Belle Terre Auto Accident Proves Fatal" »

On November 15, the New York Daily News reported in a story that Dimitri Arvanitogiannis, 19, was seriously hurt in an intentional New York hit and run accident. Arvanitogiannis was nearly killed when he was hit by a Honda Civic being driven by another 19 year old whose name was not yet released by the authorities. Arvanitogiannis was taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens where doctors were treating him for leg and head injuries and is expected to survive.

Witnesses say that after being kicked off a party bus at Bayside High School in Queens for smoking and fighting, three young men exited the party bus that carried 40 young partygoers. Next they jumped into their Honda Civic and began racing up and down Kennedy Street. Finally the driver of the Civic turned his anger towards the crowd and ran over Arvanitogiannis.

A friend of Arvantogiannis who witnessed the New York auto accident, Matt Pavich, 19, cried "How did this happen?" Pavich’s shirt still marked with blood. "Dimitri didn't do anything to deserve this. It's all senseless."

Continue reading "Queens Hit and Run Accident Seriously Injures Teen" »

The New York Times reported in an article on October 30, 2008 that Jolanda Joyce, 28, fell down an elevator shaft shortly after midnight. Fortunately for Joyce she was only on the 1st floor and managed to avoid serious injuries after falling an estimated 5 to 10 feet in this elevator accident in Manhattan. Joyce was on the first floor of a Manhattan complex located on 404 East and 105th Street waiting to take the elevators to go upstairs.

Joyce had this to tell the NY1 cable news channel: “I turned around to get my phone from a friend and I opened the elevator door and I took a step and I just fell. There was no elevator there.” Joyce was treated for her injuries from the NY elevator accident at St. Luke’s Hospital.

In order to board this old-fashioned elevator, a person must use a handle on an outside door to open the door, doing so allows people to board. Suspensions were handed to the team who had responded to the initial outage report in the building; this according to Tino Hernandez, chairman of the Housing Authority. Hernandez had only this to say about a preliminary review “revealed that standard procedures may not have been followed.”

Continue reading "Manhattan Elevator Accident Injures Woman " »

The parents of a 21-year-old man, who was killed two years ago when his Jeep fell off a 90-foot cliff at a Rockaway Township quarry, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the operator of the quarry and a restaurant where the man drank before the fatal accident occurred. According to an article from NJ.com, Thomas and Barbara Schultz filed the lawsuit on behalf of their deceased son Matthew Quinn Schultz.

The couple alleges that the company Tilcon knew the Mt. Hope quarry site was dangerous and an “attractive nuisance” to trespassers and fun-seekers, but failed to install gates and secure the facility.

The couple also named Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse as a defendant, alleging that their son, who worked at the restaurant, became heavily intoxicated there after finishing his shift on the night of the accident. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the defendants and seeks damages for loss of enjoyment of life and the pain and distress Schultz suffered before his death.

Continue reading "Rockaway Township Auto Accident Results in Parents Filing Wrongful Death Lawsuit " »

The ny1.com website reported in a story on October 24, that a principally high number of pedestrian accidents in New York occurred on that particular Friday. Sadly, two of those accidents resulted in the wrongful death of two senior citizens while leaving several others injured.

The first terrible tragedy occurred in Manhattan when James Dong, 60, was struck while attempting to enter his vehicle at 106 Bowery Street in Chinatown. According to the authorities, the truck driver did not seem to realize he had struck someone as he left the scene. The police are investigating this as a hit and run.

The second wrongful death occurred in a pedestrian accident in Brooklyn when Bridget Morrissey, 74, was crossing the street at 75th Street and 14th Avenue in Dyker Heights, when what is described as a grey colored vehicle hit and killed her. This incident is also being investigated as a hit and run because this driver also left the scene without stopping.

Continue reading "New York Pedestrian Accidents Occur In Large Numbers In One Day, 2 Dead" »

A report on the ny1.com website spotlights the story of Cecelia Torres 16, who is a member of Keystone Leadership club in East Harlem. Cecelia successfully petitioned the city’s department of transportation to install a traffic light on the intersection of 101st Street and Third Avenue. Without Cecilia’s concerted efforts to keep her neighborhood safe, the light would have never been installed, says the department of transportation.

Cecilia took it upon herself to write the department of transportation a letter after having almost been run over more than once in a pedestrian accident in New York. She noted that it was particularly scary trying to cross the street with younger children in tow.

Margaret Forgione, DOT Manhattan borough commissioner said, "We consider several factors, including accident history, average vehicle speeds, and the amount of pedestrians who cross the intersection each hour. Some requests never meet any of these warrants, but here at 101st and 3rd we determined the intersection was busy enough, during certain hours of the day, for the request to be granted."

Continue reading "Harlem Pedestrian Accidents Motivate Teen To Get Traffic Light Installed" »

A recent article in the NY Daily News explains that the City Council has demanded that the Housing Authority immediately upgrade its most dangerous elevators. This follows the Housing Authority’s announcement that they would be replacing 550 frequently malfunctioning elevators in New York over the next five years.

“I need to be able to tell my constituents that the elevators in the most need … are the ones being replaced,” City Councilman David Yassky explained.

Outages and safety problems have long plagued NY public housing elevators – a problem that turned fatal in August when 5 year old Jacob Neuman plunged 10 stories to his death while trying to escape a stalled elevator in Brooklyn’s Talyor Wythe House.

Continue reading "New York Elevator Accidents To Be Prevented" »

The website ny1.com reported in an article on October 30, that relatives of Ramadan Kurtaj from New York and beyond gathered to pay homage at the scene of the crane accident in New York that ended his life. Family members laid flowers and a wreath in his memory. Located on 91st and First Avenue, a construction crane came crashing down on Kurtaj killing him along with crane operator Donald Leo.

Kurtaj family attorney Susan Karten said, “This crane shouldn't have been on the street because it was 24 years old. There are signs and different reports saying that there was fatigue. And this is not the kind of equipment that should be used in a city that’s state of the art in every other respect but not with respect to the lives of construction workers.”

Karten indicated that the family would be filing suit seeking damages from the crane company as well as the general contractor. Furthermore they are requesting that the District Attorney and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration make public their findings into this dreadful work related accident.

Continue reading "New York Construction Crane Worker Commemorated " »

According to a report, Vijay Aranha, a Forest Hills man whose elderly mom was struck by a car while crossing Metropolitan Ave., is leading a movement to improve safety along the busy street. On October 24th, his 74 year old mom, Mable, was struck on Metropolitan Ave and 70th Road. The New York auto accident left her with a broken leg and internal bleeding.

“The traffic has become horrendous”, explained Aranha, 43. He believes the Queens pedestrian accident occurred because the driver who struck his mom and then fled the scene was enraged about the street being too crowded.

To deal with the problem, Aranha wants the city to construct speed bumps on side streets and also add things like left turn signals and signs that prohibit trucks from entering certain smaller roads. The city has decided to install a left-turn signal from Metro into a shopping complex on Trotting course Lane to help prevent pedestrian accidents in Forest Hills.

Continue reading "Forest Hills Pedestrian Accident Inspires Desire For Safer Street" »

The ny1.com website reported in an article on October 6, that government officials have released a report detailing the number of on the job deaths for 2007 in the state of New York. According to officials, the number of on the job deaths was 81 for 2007. The bulk of the deaths were related to construction accidents. Officials have been keeping record of this morbid stat for 16 years.

So far, and not withstanding the three months left in 2008, New York has seen almost 24 fatalities due to construction accidents. Included in these are the nine people killed in two separate crane collapses. In efforts to curtail construction related injuries and/or deaths, city officials have issued new guidelines for construction crane operators in order for them to get licensed.

Continue reading "New York Decrease Of On-the-Job Deaths In 2007" »