Month: January 2015

Our Lawyers recovered $2.8 Million in a Construction Accident Case

Our Personal Injury Law Firm, obtained a jury verdict of $2.8 Million for a construction worker who received injuries when a temporary light fixture fell from the ceiling and struck him on the head causing mild traumatic brain injury.

The plaintiff was laying tiles onto the wall inside a New York City Transit Authority station near Yankee Stadium at 161st Street in the Bronx, New York. At trial, the victim presented evidence of his physical injuries which included subdural hematoma, PET-SCAN evidence of a mild traumatic brain injury (MBTI), and herniated discs in his neck.  Despite video surveillance by the defendant of plaintiff working after the accident, the jury awarded $2,800,000 to the construction worker in total.  The Appeals Court, Second Department Appellate Division, acknowledged the jury award on liability and damages. The Second Department reduced the award from $2.8 Million to approximately $1.6 Million. Defendant, the NYC Transit Authority, has expressed an intention to file a motion for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals, which is the highest Court in New York.

The construction industry is one the largest industries in the United States. Construction accidents and deaths are ranked third among all other types of accidents in the New York City. If someone is injured in a construction accident, it is important to get in touch with a construction accident lawyer.

Various types of accidents including hoisting accidents, accidents with construction equipment or machinery: Forklift and or Crane Accidents, falls from scaffolds, falling object or construction debris hitting worker, worker falls from a height / elevated platform / falls from ladders, car Accidents with construction vehicles, and scaffolding collapses.

Our NYC Car Accident Lawyers recovered 5 Million in compensation

Most auto accidents take place during the winter season and some accidents involving cars can actually result in fatal injuries. Victims of car accidents can be anyone including a pedestrian or even the driver himself. In most cases, it is seen that accidents have taken place due to the negligence of the ‘at-fault car driver’, pedestrians or anyone else.More than 60 percent of car accident victims experience pain, even a year of being injured in a car accident; and the most common areas of pain are joints and limbs (44%), the back and spine injuries (26%), brain and head injuries (12%) and injury to the neck (7%).

An advocacy group, the American Pain Foundation published a report where it was found that more than $100 billion has been spent on curing chronic pains every year. Back pain is one of the major causes of disability in Americans aged below 45 years.

Thus, if you have ever received injuries resulting from a car accident then you should get in touch with your lawyer; and, your accident lawyer will help you get justice and compensation from the negligent individual or authority (public or private). Most car accident attorneys come to loggerheads with insurance companies who try their best to reduce or nullify your claim amount. Insurance companies also try to cheat you of your medical and financial compensation on the basis of medical report and if a patient is experiencing excruciating pain in the brain then it will not show up in X-rays, CAT scans or MRIs. Most insurance companies try to locate loopholes so that your compensation can be reduced or denied.

On the other hand, accidents that involve heavy truck or tractor trailers can prove to be fatal for car occupants including the driver. There have been many instances where heavy vehicles like truck caused accidents on the road. If you were involved in any car accident then you have to seek urgent medical help and it is important to contact a car accident attorney immediately after the accident. This will help you get the right compensation amount for your injuries.

Truck Accidents in New York

An accident due to huge trucks frequently consists of different set of problems and questions than the ones involving cars or other personal injury accident. Selecting the correct law firm can fetch the correct compensation from the trucking company or its insurance company. Accidents which involve huge semi trucks are life threatening, and severely affect standard of living.

Does a person need an attorney?

Several times truck accident victims hesitate to contact a lawyer. They feel that the trucking industry’s attorney is hired for their interest. This is not true in many cases. The trucking industry attorney is hired by trucking industry and not by you.

Without a personal lawyer, they may convince you to settle your claim faster and lesser than you deserve. You may not be aware of your rights and damages and what you deserve. Once the final settlement is signed, you are fixed. If soon something new crops up related to your accident, you will be denied help and you will have to pay for your own medical bills instead of the trucking company.

Truck Accident/Injury attorney

Generally, people contact a normal lawyer after any accident. But, a personal injury attorney specialized in accident injury claims would help you get justice and compensation for the truck accident injury claim. Accidents involving large trucks result in tragic injury or death.  A personal injury attorney focuses in accident cases involving truck accident is aware of all medical tests and how to carry on with a case if your accident resulted in grave injuries. A truck accident attorney is also aware of the ins and outs of trucking legislation and which would help in determining and proving the reason of the accident.

Auto Accident Injury Cases in New York

New York Auto Accident Lawyers represent the victims of auto accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians and bus accidents and we  provide free legal consultation to victims of personal injury within the New York City including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Bronx.

New York (NY) is one of the busiest cities in the US and as per the report of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an auto accident takes place somewhere in the city every 10 seconds in US.  Auto accidents take place within the NY City (NYC) due to several reasons and some of the known causes of auto accidents are negligence by drivers, dangerous driving and driving under influence (DUI), or driving under the influence of banned and lethal drugs.

In an auto accident, it is not just the driver who is a victim but also those pedestrians who are hit in these auto accidents. In case, you get injured within the city due to negligence of some individual or authority then get in touch with a NY auto accident law firm; they will help you receive justice and compensation from the negligent driver involved in the accident and it is the duty of an auto accident lawyer for justice and compensation for the injuries, loss of human life and destruction of property. Lawyers who operate within NYC and specializing in auto accident laws and regulations are referred to as NY auto accident attorneys.

According to the NY laws, both the operator of the at-fault vehicle and the owner of that auto vehicle are responsible for compensation to the injured. Also, your insurance company has to pay for all medical bills and compensation for lost wages if you were a victim of auto accident.

In most auto accident cases, it is seen that insurance companies and agencies use under-hand tactics to make void genuine injury claims. For example, they will not impart with important information such as the need to file an accident claim within 30 days from the date of the accident since this give you full benefits from the insurance company. Therefore, it is important to contact a lawyer if you have received personal injuries in the accident and your auto accident lawyer will help you receive compensation for the damage and the injuries sustained.

According to the laws of the State of NY, it is the duty of any auto vehicle to drive carefully and not to cause an accident but if the auto driver’s negligence is responsible for the accident then he is liable to pay for the damage and injuries of all victims.

There are several reasons why you must contact a lawyer immediately after an accident since an experienced auto accident lawyer will study your case, contact witnesses, search police reports and look at traffic laws to find out if the accident resulted from your fault or not. In certain cases, the accident is caused by a defect in your vehicle and in these situations a product liability lawsuit is filed against the automobile manufacturer.

20 Million in Truck Accident Compensation Case in New York

Most of the accidents that involve commercial vehicles like eighteen-wheelers and other large freight carriers, tractor trailers can prove fatal for smaller vehicles and most of these accidents are caused due to the recklessness of the auto drivers and at times, truck drivers.

Most of the fatalities and injuries involve passengers while truck drivers escape truck-vehicle collisions with little or no personal injury mostly.  A truck accident endangers the lives of other small vehicles when truck or tractor-trailer operators do not follow legal driving norms.

Truck accidents involving 18 wheeler tractor trailers turn out to be fatal. An average loaded commercial truck can weigh anywhere between 55,000 to 80,000 pounds whereas an automobile weighs only around 3,000 pounds.

The huge size of the trucks combined with driver inattention, fatigue, work pressure and longer working hours lead to accidents.

Following are some of the unsafe acts that result in serious truck accidents:-

  • If you are ever driving in the “No-Zones” area or you are driving behind or beside a commercial truck then it can result in fatalities. In these situations, the truck driver has limited or zero visibility and that results in accidents.
  • Changing lanes in front of a truck suddenly and/or swiftly
  • Maneuvering to the right of a truck that is making a right turn all of a sudden.
  • Improper merging into the oncoming traffic
  • Weaving in and out and between large trucks

While some truck-related accidents result from these reasons, there are instances where truck drivers are responsible for the crash and most of the truck drivers are made to work overtime that can result in fatigue and lack of concentration while driving on the road.

Following are just some of the cases where lack of attention by the truck driver can result in a serious accident.

In most of the cases, these are the potential causes of truck accidents on the road:

  • Driver fatigue, tiredness or sleep deprivation
  • Lack of proper maintenance of the truck or trailer
  • Lack of concentration while driving
  • Aggressive or bad driving like tailgating or over speeding
  • Driving with an unsecured load that can fall off
  • Improper truck loading
  • Use and abuse of amphetamines by the truck driver
  • Tire treads separation
  • Tire blowouts
  • Negligent driving in bad weather conditions
  • Negligent passing and over-taking on the road
  • Obscuring the view of small vehicles
  • Truck jackknifing and rollovers on slippery roads

So, if you or someone close to you has been a victim of truck accident due to negligence of the truck driver then you should file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent driver as well as the trucking company. You can also consult with a New York Truck Accident Lawyer if you are a victim of trucking accident within New York State including Queens, Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx.

Trucking accident cases are quite different from other auto accidents like car accidents or those involving other vehicles. Tractor trailers generally are insured for big policies that usually goes up to million dollars or more. Further, truck accidents result in serious injuries as compared to accidents by cars or motorcycles. Thus, even if an accident victim survives a truck accident then the chances are that he may have to live with a serious physical disability throughout his life.