New York Injury Talk Blog

An Associated Press news report has shown that children's jewelry sold in retailers such as Wal-Mart, Claire's and New York City dollar stores is tainted with a dangerous, poisonous metal called cadmium. What is cadmium? It is a substance, which has been listed number seven on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) top 200 hazardous substances. Federal regulators really cracked down on lead-tainted toys last year. So more and more Chinese toy makers are now resorting to cadmium, which is extremely toxic even in low doses.

The AP report says children can get persistent low-level doses by regularly sucking or biting jewelry with a high cadmium content. The news agency conducted lab tests on cadmium jewelry bought at stores including several in New York. The investigation showed that out of 103 pieces of costume jewelry, 12 contained at least 10 percent cadmium, which can cause brain damage and kidney failure in young children. A day after this report came out, Wal-Mart pulled several suspect items off its shelves. Cadmium exposure at high levels can even cause cancer, experts say.

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An 18-month-old girl died and her mother was severely injured in a three-car accident in Staten Island, the New York Daily News reports. The fatal auto accident occurred on the northbound Martin Luther King Expressway near the Staten Island Expressway when two minivans collided and were then struck by a Cadillac sedan driven by the 32-year-old mom. The mother suffered a severely broken leg. Her daughter was transported to a local hospital where she died. Family members said the girl had suffered a fractured skull. The drivers of both minivans were issued summonses for driving without a license. The men escaped with minor injuries.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 41,059 traffic accident fatalities nationwide in 2007. In New York State alone, 1,333 people died in car accidents during the same year.

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on January 20, 2010 the recall of about 1.5 million Graco strollers for an amputation and laceration hazard caused by a problematic hinge mechanism. According to a huffingtonpost.com article, the recall for Graco Children’s Products Inc. strollers includes certain model numbers of its Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. The model numbers and manufacture dates can be found on the lower inside portion of the stroller’s rear frame, which is above the back wheels. Consumers are being told to discontinue use of the strollers or contact PA-based Graco for a free repair kit.

The recalled strollers were sold between October 2004 and December 2009 at several stores including Wal-Mart, Target, AAFES, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Kmart, Sears, and many others. The recall was issued after seven incidents were reported of children either having their fingertips amputated or cut from putting their fingers in a stroller’s canopy hinge when it was being opened or closed.

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Starting February 22, 2010, New York State is making some changes to its licensing laws. According to a news report in the Pall Times, the state is stepping up the standards for young drivers to get their driver's licenses. This comes after more than five years of statistical evidence that young drivers, specifically teens, are at greater risk of dying in car accidents than any other age group.

The new law allows only one non-family passenger under the age of 21 to be present in a vehicle operated by a junior license holder when he or she is not accompanied by a parent or guardian. Recent studies have shown that the presence of teen passengers in a vehicle driven by a teenager increases the chances of a car accident. Also, the new law requires that a junior permit must be held for six months before a license can be issued. This new approach should help give the driver more time to gain experience and much-needed practice behind the wheel. Also, the supervised driving requirement before the road test will increase from 20 to 50 hours.

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A woman suffered injuries in a Staten Island car accident after an out-of-control SUV plowed through the glass window of a store in Mariners Harbor and pinned her. According to a news report in the Staten Island Advance, the woman was waiting in line for the cashier with her toddler son and another young son close by. Thankfully, no one else was injured in this horrific car accident. The driver of the SUV, described by officials as an elderly female driver, sustained minor injuries. Firefighters had to free the young mom from under the SUV. An investigation is ongoing.

New York car accident lawyers know that a majority of auto accidents are caused as a result of someone else's negligence. In this particular case, we do not know what caused the elderly driver to go through the storefront. However, if the woman is found to be at-fault, under New York law, she could be held liable for the injuries and damages caused in this car accident.

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Nine preschool kids, a matron, and their bus driver sustained injuries in a New York car accident after the driver of a sedan ran a stop sign. The sedan then rammed into the bus and caused it to flip over on its side. According to a news report in the Times Newsweekly, the accident occurred in the Middle Village area on 69th Road. The female driver of the sedan was heading northbound on 75th Street. Apparently, this intersection has been the site of several other serious auto accidents in recent years. The hazardous roadway has even prompted residents to call repeatedly for installation of a traffic control device in the area. The nine children, matron and bus driver were transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the sedan suffered minor injuries.

City officials say they have sent several letters to the Queens Borough Commissioner for the Department of Transportation requesting traffic safety control devices at that intersection, which has also been the site of a fatal motorcycle accident in 2008. However, the Department of Transportation has not responded to requests for an all-way stop sign, speed bump or conversion of 69th Road to a one-way street.

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The MTA has released new figures showing accidents by each crossing, which show that the Verrazano Narrows saw the greatest increases in the number of accidents. According to a news report in the New York Post, there were 57 more accidents and 17 more injuries there in 2009 than there were in 2008. The RFK Bridge, on the other hand, saw large decreases with 78 less auto accidents and 10 less injuries during the same period. The Bronx-Whitestone, Cross Bay, Marine Parkway, the Queens Midway Tunnel and Throgs Neck Bridges also saw increases in the number of incidents. Officials believe speeding and reckless drivers cause most of the problems on the Verrazano and say they will deploy more MTA officers who will enforce the speed limit there.

Statistical studies are a great yardstick for cities and agencies to measure the safety of their roadways, intersections and crossings. Numbers don't lie. Agencies rely on numbers to determine trends and figure out how to make those roadways safer for the traveling public. It's a significant tool in their arsenal. However, despite these studies and reports, often we find that very little is done to actually improve traffic safety. Dangerous and defective roadways cause hundreds if not thousands of auto accidents in New York City.

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An elderly woman sustained fatal injuries in a New York auto accident after she was hit by an ambulance that was transporting a patient to the hospital, according to a WPIX news report. The woman was reportedly crossing Bay Parkway at Belt Parkway in Brooklyn when she was hit. The victim was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Officials believe that the woman was in her 80s. Officials are apparently trying to determine whether the ambulance had its lights and sirens on at the time of the accident.

Pedestrian accidents can result in devastating injuries including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, paralysis and even death. If a pedestrian accident was caused by the negligence of the driver, then the pedestrian may be able to seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, therapy and other related costs. If the victim dies as a result of a negligent driver, the family of a deceased victim may be able to file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation.

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