New York Injury Talk Blog

Earlier this month, a New York tour bus crash claimed the lives of 15 people, adding to the multitude of fatal bus accidents across various U.S. states. According to EmpoweredNews.com, the early March bus crash in New York, the latest in a long list of fatal crashes in the U.S., has prompted the revival of travel safety campaigns to pass additional safety legislation for buses, and other public transportation.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made several recommendations and proposals to the Department of Transportation in the past, including requiring bus passengers to wear seatbelts, installing monitors to gauge how long a bus driver has been driving, requiring buses to have stronger roofs to withstand collisions, and installing shatter-proof windows that can be easily opened in case of emergency.

DOT officials will be meeting with a Senate subcommittee in order to explain why bus safety regulations are not being implemented in a timely manner. Had they been, the regulations may have prevented many fatal bus accidents. It is very difficult to suffer an injury, but especially so when the bus injury crash was the fault of poor bus safety, or a negligent bus driver. According to the NTSB, 60 percent of fatal large bus accidents have been the result of driver-related causes in the past 12 years. In 60 percent of those crashes, the bus driver, and possibly their employer, could be held liable for injuries sustained, and lives lost.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a driver-related bus accident, the experienced New York bus crash injury lawyers at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP can advise you of your legal rights and work professionally with you towards achieving proper financial compensation for any injuries and losses you’ve suffered. Call today at 1-212-222-4336 for a free consultation.

A state trooper was killed in a Saturday morning car crash on I-290 in Tonawanda, according to Tonawandas.WGRZ.com. The New York state trooper was conducting a vehicle and traffic stop on the interstate just east of the Colvin Boulevard on-ramp when a pickup truck, having just merged onto the highway from the ramp, hit the trooper. The pick-up truck stopped and immediately returned to the scene after striking the state trooper, who was taken to Kenmore Mercy hospital; he was pronounced dead just after 8:00 a.m., about one hour after the accident. The eastbound lanes of I-290 were closed, causing major traffic delays throughout the day.

New York state police and family are mourning the loss of the 14-year veteran, who was originally from Buffalo. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the I-290 fatal auto accident; nothing has been ruled out. All factors must be taken into account when attempting to establish the reason for the pickup’s failure to move left, having entered the highway. State police are withholding the name of the driver, who is cooperating fully. Any potential witnesses of the crash have been asked to contact the state police.

A New York auto accident can be a very traumatic experience for the victim and their family. Much emotional pain and suffering follows both fatal and non-fatal car crashes. When serious injury is involved, the burden of extensive, and expensive, medical treatment and rehabilitation also weighs heavily on the victim and their family. If you or a loved one have been injured because of another driver, that driver can be held liable for any financial or emotional suffering you’ve experienced due to their negligence. A skillful New York car crash attorney can provide you with the legal counsel that is your right.

The knowledgeable New York auto accident injury attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP, have years of experience working with both victims and families that have been through minor, major, and fatal car accidents, to recover financial and emotional losses and damages from those responsible for the accident. For a free consultation, please call 1-212-222-4336.

New York City’s Central and Prospect Parks have a regular traffic combination of walkers, runners, bicyclists, and, at the proper times, cars. However, pedestrians and bicyclists may have Central and Prospect Parks all to themselves if the recently introduced legislation by Councilwoman Gale Brewer passes.

According to NBCNewYork.com, the proposal would ban motor vehicle traffic from the six-mile loop in Manhattan’s Central Park, and the inside loop of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, in an effort to increase the amount of space and to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety. Although motor vehicles are currently only allowed in Prospect Park for 4 hours throughout the day (7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), those hours coincide with the before-work or after-work walk, run, or bike that many people take; thus the limited hours don’t do much for the safety of the active walkers, joggers, bikers, and inline skaters of the city.

According to a study performed by Transportation Alternatives, Central Park’s traffic volume has been found to be the lowest it has ever been, as opposed to the increasing recreational demands. The increase in recreational activities means a larger number of pedestrians and bicyclists, which, in turn, would result in more pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents in New York should motor vehicles be allowed to continue using the Central Park loop.

Almost 50 percent of New York’s transportation-related deaths are caused by pedestrian accidents, according to a decade-long study by the New York City Department of Transportation. In a city such as New York, where there is an inordinate amount of foot traffic, it is essential that any and all measures are taken to ensure pedestrian safety. If you or a loved one are a victim of a New York pedestrian accident, a dedicated personal injury attorney can provide you with the legal advice you need.

The experienced Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyers of Wingate, Rusotti & Shapiro, LLP, have successfully handled various pedestrian injury cases. Our attorneys will work diligently to recover any losses or damages you or a loved one have suffered because of your injury. Call today for a free consultation at 1-212-222-4336.

One school bus collided into another on March 21 injuring 9 children and 1 adult, according to UPI.com. A school bus had stopped to pick up students in the morning, its warning lights and stop sign activated, according to procedure. A car on the side of opposing traffic heeded the signal and stopped to wait, however, a second school bus attempted to pass the stopped school bus, hitting it in the process, after which it hit the stopped car, jumped the curb, and finally stopped in someone’s front yard. Two of the children being picked up and 7 that were on the buses were hospitalized, as was the driver of the stopped bus. It is not yet known why the second bus driver did not stop.

Much research has been done on the safety of school transportation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a finding of the American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that between 6,000 and 10,000 children are injured in school bus accidents every year. Although the NHTSA has held crash tests and has received data from outside parties concerning school bus safety, students are still vulnerable. A child injury can be very traumatic, but an experienced New York child injury lawyer can help.

Bus accidents are very dangerous because any incident affects a large number of people. Bus companies are responsible for the safety of their passengers, whether child or adult. The bus manager or owner can be held liable if a bus accident was caused by the driver, and the bus manufacturer can be held liable in the case of a defective piece of equipment.

The knowledgeable NY school bus accident attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP, have years of experience handling bus accident injury cases. We will work with you to recover any losses or damages due to your bus crash injury. Please call today at 212-222-4336 for a free consultation.

Topamax, or topiramate, is an FDA approved medication used to treat certain types of seizures in epileptic patients, as well as preventatively treat migraine headaches. Although approved by the FDA, new data has come to light that presents a great risk to infants whose mothers were taking Topamax when pregnant. However, women who are pregnant should not immediately stop taking Topamax or any antiepileptic medication without first consulting their doctor. Suddenly stopping antiepileptic drug use can lead to serious health problems for both women and their babies.

According to the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry, an increased risk of oral cleft lip and/or cleft palate has been shown in infants whose mothers were taking Topamax during their pregnancy. A cleft lip or palate occurs when parts of the lip, or palate, do not completely fuse together, and can cause a range of complications from a slight speech impediment to difficulty eating and even ear infections. A cleft lip or palate can be corrected with surgery, which is costly and can traumatically affect one’s family.

It is the responsibility of a pharmaceutical manufacturer to ensure that any and all medications put on the market have been thoroughly researched so as to know every benefit and every potential side effect. If the manufacturer releases a product prematurely, without proper warning labels, that manufacturer can be held liable for the financial and emotional hardships resulting from its use. An experienced New York Topamax lawyer can advise you and your family on the best course of legal action in such a case.

Every healthcare professional is obligated to give their patients all the information, the benefits and negative side-effects, about any given drug. If all the risks of prescribing Topamax to a pregnant woman, or woman of childbearing age, are not considered, or exposed, then that physician may also be held liable.

The dedicated New York Topamax oral cleft defect attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP are prepared to help you reclaim any medical expenses and recover any other losses or damages because of injury to you, or your child. Please call our office today for a free consultation at 212-222-4336.

When they are ill, all medical patients expect to be diagnosed with the proper condition in a timely manner. This is especially true for cancer patients, as a timely diagnosis can potentially increase the chances of their survival and lessen the pain of treatment. However, in some instances a cancer diagnosis can be delayed due to the negligence of a healthcare professional. An example could be when a patient experiences symptoms that mimic those of a certain condition and was treated for that condition only to later find out that they had cancer, which is now unable to be treated.

According to the American Cancer Society, 569,490 Americans were expected to die of cancer in 2010, with about 1.5 million new cancer diagnoses expected during that same year. Cancer is the second most common cause of death among Americans, with heart disease being the most common.

Because of the different types of cancer, with some offering a higher survival rate than others, it is of utmost importance to ensure that a healthcare professional makes a proper diagnosis of a patient’s condition. When a New York cancer misdiagnosis is made and a patient suffers a decreased quality of life or dies because of that misdiagnosis, the healthcare professional and others involved can be held liable for their negligence.

If you have been misdiagnosed with cancer by a physician in New York, it would be in your best interest to consult the experienced New York cancer misdiagnosis attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP. Our lawyers have the skill and resources necessary to carefully examine the details of your claim and build a strong case on your behalf to earn you the compensation you deserve and guarantee the negligent party does not act wrongly again. To learn more about how we can help you, call 212-986-7353 for a free and confidential consultation.

Two construction workers spent more than an hour dangling by their safety ropes after scaffolding collapsed from under them, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal. The two men were trapped 12 stories above the street while working on a high rise in Yonkers, NY. A firefighter was able to rappel down the building and rescue the workers one at a time. A representative from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) stated that an investigation was underway to determine why the scaffolding collapsed.

Luckily, this New York scaffolding accident did not end with any injuries or fatalities. However, this is not always the case. Construction accidents can oftentimes have dire consequences, with workers sustaining serious injuries that may require a lifetime of medical care.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 193 construction accident fatalities in New York alone in 2009. In total in the United States, there were approximately 4,340 construction accident fatalities that same year.

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries for workers. Strict regulations are in place to help prevent injuries and fatality accidents from occurring; however, these regulations are not always top priority for some businesses. In some cases, an employer or contractor may try to cut corners in order to make deadlines or increase profit, which may heighten the risk of a New York scaffolding accident or other incident.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a scaffolding accident or another type of construction accident in New York, you deserve to know your rights and options. At Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP, our experienced New York construction accident attorneys have successfully handled a wide array of construction injury cases and will fight diligently to ensure that you are compensated fairly for your injuries. We will focus on holding negligent parties accountable for their actions so that you and your family can concentrate on healing. Contact Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP at 212-986-7353 for a free consultation of your case.

Using a seat belt when operating a motor vehicle is one of the most important precautions you can take in ensuring your safety in the event of a car accident in New York. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that an estimated 75,000 lives were saved because of seat belt use between 2004 and 2008. The safety restraints help keep a vehicle occupant in the car if they are involved in a crash and prevent them from being ejected, which almost always ends in a fatality.

Forty nine states and the District of Columbia have laws that require seat belt use. Statistics show that nearly 13,000 lives are saved every year because motorists buckle up before driving.

It is important for all vehicle occupants, not just drivers, to wear their seat belts properly. If you purchase a new car, be sure to test the seat belt to ensure that it is a proper fit for you. If you need an adjustment, ask the dealer or manufacturer about seat belt extenders or other adjustments. If you drive an older model vehicle that is only equipped with lap belts, contact the auto maker about retrofitting your vehicle with the proper shoulder restraints so that you are as protected as possible.

Parents of children who may be riding in the vehicle should follow all instructions on car seats and booster seats and make sure the seat belt is adjusted for the child’s smaller size. Doing so may save a life.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash in New York, you would be well-advised to consult with an experienced New York car crash attorney like those at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP. If your injury was caused by another person’s negligence, we can help you understand your rights and garner you the compensation you deserve. Call 212-986-7353 for a free and confidential consultation.