Refer to the Rapplaw News Page for information and news about personal injury stories and issues in New York and across the United States. Come here to find valuable articles and resources on the Web that focus on the rights of those injured in car accidents, truck accidents, product liability, medical malpractice, nursing homes and other cases decided under state tort laws. Also, fnd out what the insurance industry has cooking in its ongoing efforts to minimize the rights of policyholders to fair and prompt compensation after an injury occurs. Read how many politicians on the local, state and federal levels are helping insurance industry and big business agendas, at the direct expense of American taxpayers and consumers.

Work Accident Kills Three at Queens Waste Plant
Three men were killed in an accident at a waste plant in Queens. The New York work accident involved a liquid-filled hole.
Building Collapses in Brooklyn and Injures Four People
A building collapsed in Brooklyn, which injured four people. The property owner had been cited previously after inspectors noticed several cracks on an exterior wall.
Study Shows that New York has the Most Aggressive Drivers
New York has been listed as the city with the most aggressive drivers, according to a recent survey. Experts have given tips on how to reduce road rage.
Lawsuit Filed Over New York Bulldozer Accident
The widow of the construction worker killed in a New York bulldozer accident has filed a lawsuit in connection with her husband’s death. Her husband was killed in May 2008 after he was run over by the bulldozer he had been operating.
Rumble Strips Puts New York Bicyclists in Danger
A lawsuit has been filed by the Westchester Cycle Club against the New York State Department of Transportation over the city’s rumble strips. The rumble strips have been responsible for bicycle injuries in New York.
Strollers Recalled Due to Brake Failure
Thousands of Bugaboo strollers have been recalled due to brake failure. Bugaboo has already received 121 reports of brake problems with the strollers.
New York City Named in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
New York City has agreed to pay the family of Esmin Elizabeth Green $2 million in a settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit. Green died at the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital Center.
Thousands of SUVs and Trucks Recalled
Thousands of SUVs and trucks have been recalled over the past few weeks by Ford, GM and Chrysler. Some of the problems identified can lead to car accidents if not repaired.
Priest Accused of Sex Abuse Killed in Prison
In 2003, a priest convicted of sexual abuse, was strangled in prison by a fellow inmate. The Catholic priest had been found guilty of sexually abusing a boy and sentenced to 9 to 10 years in prison. More than 130 people also accused the priest of sexual abuse during his 30-year career in six parishes.
Wal-Mart Agrees to Update Crowd-Control Measures Following N.Y. Death
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to upgrade post-Thanksgiving Day crowd-control measures in 92 of its New York stores to avoid prosecution by the Nassau County District Attorney for the trampling death of a temporary worker.
Second Recall Expansion of Jardine Cribs Sold by Babies ‘R’ Us
A second recall expansion of Jardine cribs has been announced. Some Jardine crib models have slats that can break, creating a dangerous gap where infants and toddlers can become entrapped.
Man Killed in Alleged Drunk Driving Accident in New York
A man was killed in an alleged drunk driving accident in New York after his vehicle was struck by a man who was believed to have been intoxicated. The alleged drunk driver may face charges in connection with the fatal accident.
Lawsuit Filed in New York Over Faulty Elevators
A lawsuit is expected to be filed alleging that New York City’s public housing agency violated the rights of tenants with disabilities and other health problems. The lawsuit involves elevators that were improperly maintained in public housing facilities.
Alcohol Linked to Some Fatal Bike Accidents in New York City
A recent study has found that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in 21 percent of fatal bicycle accidents in New York City. The study also found that the majority of bicycle fatalities involved a motor vehicle.
Western New York Car Accident Kills 2 Children
Crane Company Warned Before Fatal New York Crane Accident
New York Community College Raises Awareness of Drinking and Driving
FDA Warns Some Weight Loss Products Are Tainted
Eyewitness Investigation - Qualifications of NY Crane Inspectors
Supreme Court Rules Regarding Drug Manufacturer Case
Two Long Island Roads Considered Deadly for Pedestrians
Consumers Warned Against Dietary Supplement with Undeclared Drug
Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts Recalled After Strangulation Death
Shirley Man Rented Car to Avoid Using Breathalyzer
Mother of DWI Suspect in New York Pedestrian Accident Blames Victims
Eli Lilly to Settlement Over Zyprexa
Correction Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail
Bus rear-ended, 12 riders injured
10 hurt in Brooklyn bus accident
New York Construction Accident News - Crane collapse-grand jury indicts contractor
Van left in reverse kills 2 kids walking in NYC
Appeal reinstates lawsuit against Sussex County over motorcycle crash
Police Say Internal Affairs Did Its Part in Subway Inquiry
NYC high school freshman hit, killed by school bus
NY cops charged in subway sodomy assault
Report Sounds Alarm on Child Accidents
Two Women Die in Queens Livery Accident
GSP crash leaves Brooklyn man critical
Bicyclist, 21, killed in Bronx hit-run
Reckless Taxi Nearly Kills Child On 30 Rock Set
Honda to Demonstrate Advanced Safety Technology in New York
Priest Runs New York City Marathon to Honor Killed Construction Workers
Car, Fire Truck Involved in Accident in Brooklyn
Road rage along Parkway leads to crash, arrest
Lawsuit claims 13 years of clergy abuse
Mom, Boy Get Stuck in Middle of 2-Car Crash in Brooklyn
Construction worker deaths fell in NYC in 2007
Police identify victim in Melville LIE crash
Train Hits Car, and a G.P.S. Is Blamed
Fiery NY accident claims biker's life
Another crane topples on US building site
Strategies and Attitudes of Walkers in New York
Brooklyn Boy, 5, Falls 10 Stories to His Death After Public Housing Elevator Stalls
Thirty people lift school bus to save pregnant woman in New York
Councilman Seeks to Ban Text Messaging at Wheel
New York Construction Company Fined for Worker's Accidental Electrocution
New York man indicted in connection with fatal crash
Four New York teens injured in bus crash
Lindsay Lohan fine after accident
Police say men crashed truck twice on same street
New York Burn Victims Fight Back
New York Burn Victims Fight Back
FDA Gives Warnings and Instructions for Heparin Sodium Injection (Baxter)
Crane collapses at Houston refinery, killing 4
Brooklyn Girl Critical after Another Hit & Run
Crane inspector arrested after two New York accidents
Manslaughter charge in NYC construction accident
City commissioner wants feds to act on crane safety
Police arrest driver of truck in fatal NYC crash
4 injured as car veers onto sidewalk in New York
Dank, shabby and deafening, New York metro moves millions
Four die in New York crane collapse
Seven dead in New York crane accident
Out of Nowhere, a Thud, and Then Blood
Conference examines how clergy abuse is handled by dioceses worldwide
City’s Buildings Chief Resigns as Outcry on Accidents Grows
Construction Workers Critical after Separate Incidents
Ambulance Crash Injures Six People
1 Injured After Car Collides With Tractor-Trailer
LI boy struck by car after buying ice cream in coma
Car Thief Leads Police on Chase, Crashes
Two People Injured After Car Jumps Curb in Manhattan
Car jumps NYC courthouse steps, pinning man
A slow return to normalcy in Manhattan area scarred by crane accident
Staten Island teen killed in car crash
Car Crash Stops Subway Service
Catholic Dioceses Promoting Child Abuse Awareness Month
Unsafe at Any Speed, With any Driver
Woman, 84, Killed In Queens Hit-And-Run Crash, Police Say
New York City to Consider New Laws After Skyscraper Deaths Rise
Schumer wants elder abuse law
One Dead, Four Injured in Stolen Car Chase
NEW YORK - Police say one person was killed and four others were injured in an accident involving a stolen vehicle on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

Police said Thursday they came across the accident after losing sight of the stolen vehicle, a 1997 Nissan Infiniti, which they had been following.
1 killed, 4 injured in Brooklyn stolen vehicle accident
Bus Accident Injures Ten
Scaffold Falls, Killing Worker in Brooklyn
Queens: Eight Injured in Fire Truck Crash
LIE reopens after two-car crash
At least one injured in spectacular crash
Secretive Allstate File Could Show 'Bad Faith'
New York Docs Feeling Ill Over Proposed Insurance Surcharge
Escalator accident likely mechanical
Hit and Run Driver Caught by Civilians
Charges dropped in NYC bus crash that left children hurt
Bicyclist killed when car door opens, sending him into truck's path
Son of Brooklyn Brewery owner dies in accident
Report: New York’s Med Mal Crisis Self-Inflicted
Eight Injured in NYC Construction Accident
ANGIE MARTINEZ SURVIVES CAR CRASH
2 people run over in accidents at confusing Brooklyn intersection
NYC Construction Becomes More Deadly
Recalls Don't Catch All Products with Lead
6 Children, 2 Adults Injured in S.I. Bus Crash
NYC man dies in Ulster motorcycle accident
New Jersey man admits driving drunk and running down off-duty cop
Critics: ConAgra Mishandled Recall
Man in wheelchair critically injured by by 2 vehicles
Five states to sue U.S. over child health plan
Woman Late For Plane Dies In Police Custody At Phoenix Airport
Bail set at $75,000 for alleged driver in fatal DUI hit-and-run
Baby, grandma escape death as semitrailor falls from NYC highway
One Dead, Four Injured In Queens Crash
City Report Shows Downward Trends in Claims Filed And Settlement Costs — With Some Exceptions
NYPD cover-up alleged in fatal Brooklyn hit-run
Subway Supervisor Is Demoted for His Role in Fatal Acccident
Sprinklers were shut off at site of fatal New York fire
Burn Victims Sue Over Steam Pipe Blast
The Hidden Cost of Foreign Goods
Why New York Medical Malpractice Insurance Jumped 14%
Bonina: Don’t Blame Lawyers For Med-Mal Insurance Crisis
Poll: Americans dislike corporate misdeeds over frivolous lawsuits
Steam Pipe Explosion Triggers Lawsuits
6 in New York Family Are Believed Dead in Crash in Virginia
Judge Bork sues New York social club over fall
LaVar Arrington In Serious Motorcycle Accident
Sicko? The truth about the US healthcare system
Ala. Judge Asks Criminal Contempt Prosecution of Katrina Lawyer
Medical Malpractice Insurers Have a Very Profitable 2006
Tape: 911 operators did little to help dying woman in ER
NYC Adds WTC Dust Death To 9/11 List
Two New York City transit workers killed in less than a week
Protecting Nursing Home Residents
The FDA Lets Another Dangerous Drug Slip Through
New York Police Investigate Bus Crash
Task force won’t recommend booze ban on LIRR, Metro-North
OxyContin: Marketing Addiction
Time to Reduce Medical Errors with Full Disclosure
Worker Is Killed by a G Train in Brooklyn
Crash Injures 18, and a Driver Is Charged
New York Supreme Court Permits Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit to Go to Trial
Injured woman sues CUNY
Tort Reform Hypocrisy
MAJORITY OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIMS IN SEVEN STATES CLOSED WITHOUT COMPENSATION PAYMENTS
Lawsuit filed over pet's death, recalled food
Merck: Making Profits Mandatory
New York Court Rules Girl Can Sue Over Injuries Sustained Before Birth
2005 Deadly Year for New York Construction Workers
"Chinatown Bus" Driver Cited with Multiple Violations
State Farm: Taking Their Billions and Going Home
Father of Three Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver
Looking For Lower Rates On Your Insurance? You Better Get Rich
Progressive Insurance: Art for Profit's Sake
Blistering report on summer subway fire
Having a hard time contacting an insurance company? Click here.
State Farm Settles Katrina Lawsuit, Avoids Trial
La. officials say nearly $600M in Katrina aid money hasn’t been sought by New Orleans
Progressive Insurance: Art for Profits Sake
Safety Tips for the Holidays
12 New Yorkers Left Trapped In Cars
City of New York Files Lawsuit to Prevent Health Insurance Merger
ATRA Releases Annual "Judicial Hellhole" List
U.S. Senator Learns Harsh Lesson About Insurance
Insurance Company Tricks: What They Are and How to Avoid Them
New York Rapper Sues Insurance Company Over Basketball Deaths
RGGL's Fall Newsletter
Standard Tricks of The Insurance Trade
Laptop Computer Battery Recalls Will Cost Sony Millions
Louisiana Ruling Gives Hurricane Victims More Options
TWA Flight 800: Fatal Design Flaw Still In Place After Ten Years
Simple Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe During the Summer
There Isn't Anything "Frivolous" About It: A Look At The Personal Injury Process
New York Taxi Wreck Kills Passenger
FDA's Independent Advisory Panels Have Severe Conflicts of Interest
New Federal Privacy Law Poorly Enforced
Bristol Myers Squibb Ceases Manufacture of Dangerous Antibiotic
Read RGG&L's Spring 2006 Newsletter
National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration Releases Annual Crash Predictions
Disetronic Medical Systems Announces Insulin Pump Recall
Medical Malpractice "Crisis" Officially Over
New study shows U.S. healthcare is worst in prescription errors, health costs
Suing Terrorists for Wrongful Death?
Michael Glass obtains $17 millon structured award for birth injury
Bad Credit = Higher Insurance Rates?
**NEW** Rapplaw Spanish Site
EPI Weighs in on Inconsistencies of Tort Reform
$2,750,000 awarded to a 22 year old fledgling actor

Work Accident Kills Three at Queens Waste Plant

Three workers were killed in an on-the-job accident at a privately operated waste transfer plan in Queens. According to authorities the men were overcome by toxic fumes and died in an accident involving a liquid-filled hole.

The work accident occurred in an 18-foot deep hole that had a 3 feet diameter and approximately 4 feet of liquid. The workers, who included a father and son, were subcontractors. It was reported that one man fell into the hole and one of the other workers attempted to save him with a rope and ladder. The third worker fell into the hole when he tried to rescue the first two men.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the three workers face down in the liquid. According to Deputy Assistant Chief John Sudnik, a firefighter went down into the hole with a breathing apparatus and pulled all of the bodies out by attaching them to a harness.

The air was tested and authorities discovered toxic levels of hydrogen sulfide. Chief Sudnik said that hydrogen sulfide is “a common byproduct of decomposed organic material. In that type of atmosphere it is very toxic.”

M. & P. Reali Enterprises, doing business as Regal Recycling Company, runs the commercial plant, according to state records. When reporters tried to call the company, the man who answered the phone said that they had no immediate comment.

Building Collapses in Brooklyn and Injures Four People

A four story residential building in Brooklyn, New York collapsed in the Fort Greene neighborhood. The accident injured at least four people, who suffered minor injuries.

According to a fire department spokesperson, the four injured people were given medical attention right after the collapse and only one person had to be taken to the Brooklyn Hospital for treatment.

It was confirmed by the fire department spokesperson that the owner of the building was cited in May following an inspection where several vertical cracks on an exterior wall were noted.

Residents living in adjacent buildings were forced to evacuate so that experts could determine if those buildings were safe.

The case involving this building collapse is supposed to be heard by the city’s Environmental Control Board, which handles citations issued by the buildings department.

Study Shows that New York has the Most Aggressive Drivers

According to a recently released road rage survey, New York City has the most aggressive motorists. One expert stated that New York residents are always in a hurry and that being rushed is one of the major predictors of road rage.

Psychologist David Eigen said that New Yorkers become angry from the irritation of being cut off, slowing down or cursed at by other drivers. He went on to say that the level of frustration from such events is high and that the bad economy has caused even more road rage.

New York has surpassed Miami as the city with the angriest drivers, which held the top spot for the last four years. Portland and Cleveland were listed as the cities with the most courteous, considerate drivers.

"New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms. They were most likely to lay on the horn and they were most likely to make some sort of obscene gesture," said Michael Bush, of the marketing and consulting company Affinion Group, which commissioned the survey.

Some tips have been given to reduce road rage, including not listening to the news on the radio and instead listening to books on tape or anything else that people enjoy. Passengers can even help prevent road rage. Also, it has been recommended that drivers avoid eye contact with an angry driver and to give them plenty of room.

Lawsuit Filed Over New York Bulldozer Accident

The widow of a construction worker from Mannsville has filed a lawsuit against Hanson Aggregates New York Inc. and Hanson Aggregates North America Inc., Lehigh Cement Co., and Villager Construction Inc. over the death of her husband.

James C. Eastman was run over and killed by a bulldozer while working at Hanson Aggregates property on May 12, 2008. The 64-year-old was fatally injured in the New York bulldozer accident when he lost control of the bulldozer he was using to build a ramp on the property. He was partially ejected from the bulldozer and run over by its left track.

Mr. Eastman’s widow, Loretta K. Eastman, is the executor of the estate and filed a state Supreme Court action at the Jefferson County clerk’s office. She claims that the ramp was unstable, which caused it to partially collapse. As a result, Mr. Eastman lost control of the bulldozer and was thrown off.

According to Ms. Eastman, Hanson Aggregates was negligent for allowing a “defective and dangerous” condition to exist on the property. She also alleges that all of the named defendants were negligent for lacking supervision and inspection of the condition.

Villager Construction had been contracted to build the ramp, which went from a 75-foot elevation down to a landing area, according to court documents.

The lawsuit does not list a specific amount of damages that are being pursued.

Rumble Strips Puts New York Bicyclists in Danger

A lawsuit has been filed by the Westchester Cycle Club against the New York State Department of Transportation over rumble strips.

Richard Wilt, a New York City police sergeant and experienced bicyclist, was injured on Route 100 when his bicycle hit rumble strip that had just been installed and not easily seen in the dark. He chipped a tooth and needed stitches on his upper lip. Wilt said he is thankful that he is not dead.

Rumble strip, also referred to as audible road delineator, is the ridged area that is used on highways to startle dozing drivers and keep them on the road. These strips are most often used on heavily trafficked highways. Wilt feels that there is no need for rumble strips on the stretch of highway where he was injured. He also called the strips dangerous.

One of the dozens of complaints sent to the Department of Transportation read, “what was a reasonably safe thoroughfare for bicyclists was essentially destroyed by the addition of the rumble strips.”

After the Department of Transportation issued a report that supported the project, the Westchester Cycle Club filed a lawsuit June 1 requesting a state court to force the department to pave over the strips.

Strollers Recalled Due to Brake Failure

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sent out a press release on June 2, 2009, announcing a recall of Bugaboo Bee strollers. Bugaboo cooperated with the CPSC in announcing the voluntary recall of the strollers, which involves approximately 22,500 units.

According to the press release, the identified hazard has to do with the stroller’s brakes. One or both sides of the brakes can fail, which can lead to the stroller unexpectedly rolling away on an incline. If the brakes fail, it can cause injury to the child occupying the stroller.

To date, Bugaboo has received 121 reports of stroller brake failure, but luckily no injuries have been reported.

The Bugaboo strollers included in the recall have item code 580210, which can be found on the label on the back of the seat and item code 50100 that can be located on the plastic support under the seat. The Bugaboo strollers came in blue, dark khaki, pink, red, yellow and black.

The recalled strollers were sold across the country by retailers and on various websites from August 2007 to April 2009 for approximately $530.

The CPSC urges consumers to stop using the strollers immediately and to contact Bugaboo for a free repair kit. For more information, contact Bugaboo at (800) 460-2922.

New York City Named in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The family of a woman who died on the floor of the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital Center will receive $2 million from New York City. The deceased woman waited more than 24 hours for treatment and a videotape showed her lying on the floor for more than an hour while workers did nothing to help her.

New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation accepted full responsibility for 49-year-old Esmin Elizabeth Green’s death and stated that it will take action to solve issues involving crowding and the size of the staff in the mental health services department at the hospital.

Green’s death occurred during a time when concern was rising over the conditions in the psychiatric service at the hospital, which is the only mental health provider for the majority of poor people in Brooklyn.

Green was from Jamaica and immigrated in the late 1990s to earn income for her six children back home. She suffered from depression.

The lawyer representing Green’s family called the wrongful death settlement “fair and reasonable,” but the family was planning on continuing to press for accountability.

The hospital system has gone through numerous reforms, including construction of a new Behavioral Health Center Pavilion.

Thousands of SUVs and Trucks Recalled

Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous recalls announced that involve Dodge Rams, Ford F-150’s, Chevrolet Traverse’s and several Cadillac, Chevrolet and GM SUVs. Consumers are supposed to be contacted by the auto manufacturers regarding the recalls.

Ford has recalled more than 8,700 Ford F-150 trucks after a problem has been detected with the break lights. The break stop light may not illuminate or may be delayed when the brake pedal is pressed. This problem can increase the risk of a car accident.

GM has recalled over 15,000 Chevrolet Traverse SUVs because of a problem with the park brake cable link. The connector has the potential to fracture when the brake pedal is pressed, which could cause a crash. GM is also recalling more than 27,000 GM Cadillac Escalade and Escalade Hybrid, ESV and EXT versions, Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, Suburban, Tahoe and Tahoe hybrid and GMC Canyon, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Yukon hybrid trucks. According to the recall announcement, the fuel system could have a sealing problem, which can lead to separation, allowing water to seep in.

Chrysler has recalled approximately 37,000 Dodge Ram pickup trucks for a problem with the manual temperature control. This malfunction can cause the windshield defrosting and defogging to not work properly.

Priest Accused of Sex Abuse Killed in Prison

In 2003, John Geoghan, a convicted child sex abuser and former Roman Catholic priest, was killed after being strangled by a fellow inmate in prison.

The inmate, 37-year-old Joseph Druce, was charged with Geoghan’s murder. Druce was serving a life sentence at the same facility where Geoghan was strangled.

Geoghan, a 68-year-old man, was assaulted around noon and pronounced dead at 1:17 PM at a local hospital. A spokesperson from the prison said that Druce was immediately identified and isolated.

The Boston Archdiocese had paid $10 million to settle a lawsuit by 86 plaintiffs who claimed that Geoghan had sexually assaulted them. An attorney who represented some of the alleged victims of Geoghan said that the victims would have “liked to rather see Father Geoghan complete his sentence in jail, would have rather seen justice served, would rather have seen him involved as a defendant in further criminal trials.” He went on to say that Geoghan’s death was “eerie” and “unsettling.”

Geoghan was found guilty in January 2003 of molesting a boy in a swimming pool ten years earlier and sentenced to 9 to 10 years in prison. It has been reported that more than 130 people accused Geoghan of sexual abuse during his 30-year career in six parishes.

Wal-Mart Agrees to Update Crowd-Control Measures Following N.Y. Death

To avoid prosecution by the Nassau County District Attorney for the trampling death of a temporary worker, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to upgrade post-Thanksgiving Day crowd-control measures in 92 of its New York stores.

As part of the agreement, Wal-Mart will have its plan approved by independent safety consultants and provide $400,000 in expedited restitution to victims of the confrontation. Wal-Mart will also donate $1.5 million to Nassau County social-service programs and will hire 50 local high school students every year for the next three years.

Hank Mullany, president of Wal-Mart’s northeast division, said that the company has never had a tragedy like the trampling death in their stores and that they do not want it to happen again.

Last November, Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary maintenance worker at a Valley Stream, New York Wal-Mart, was killed after he was knocked down and trampled by several hundred shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving, which is a busy shopping day known as “Black Friday.” The shoppers had burst through Wal-Mart’s doors, as they raced to purchase discounted merchandise. According to the DA, there were 11 people who claimed that they were injured in the accident.

Individuals who have documented expenses and injuries may be able to recover compensation from a $400,000 fund. To obtain compensation, these individuals will have to waive their right to a separate civil lawsuit against Wal-Mart.

Second Recall Expansion of Jardine Cribs Sold by Babies ‘R’ Us

Since June 2008, there have been 472,450 Jardine crib units recalled. The latest recall includes 96,000 Jardine cribs sold nationwide by KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us. This voluntary recall was prompted by reports of the crib slats breaking.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received 31 incident reports of slats breaking on the Jardine cribs, which includes two reports of children becoming entrapped in the gap left from the broken slat on the crib. Among these incidents, there were ten reports of children breaking the slats while in the crib and one report of a child sustaining minor injuries.

According to the press release from the CPSC, the wooden crib slats can break, which can create a gap and an entrapment and strangulation hazard for infants and toddlers.

The cribs included in the recall are as follows:

• Model #0102B00, Drop-side Natural Olympia Single, Date code between 9/2005-1/2007
• Model #0102E00, Drop-side Dark Pine Olympia Single, Date code between 9/2005-1/2008
• Model #0302P00, Black Olympia Lifetime, Date code between 11/2005-5/2008
• Model #0302C00, White Olympia Lifetime, Date code between 6/2006-12/2006
• Model #0312D00, Americana Pecan 4-in-1, Date code between 5/2006-11/2007
• Model #0308L00, Antique Walnut Capri 4-in-1, Date code between 12/2005-11/2007
• Model #0108C00, Drop-side White Capri Single, Date code between 8/2006-11/2007

Consumers are urged to stop using the recalled cribs and to contact Jardine to receive a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib. Jardine can be reached at (800) 646-4106 between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM EST Monday through Friday.

Man Killed in Alleged Drunk Driving Accident in New York

A 23-year-old New York City man was killed instantly after an alleged drunk driver smashed into his vehicle, according to police.

It was reported by authorities that Dion Price’s Honda Del Sol was crushed so severely that rescuers had to work for hours to free his body. The alleged drunk driving accident took place at approximately 4:00 AM just 10 blocks from Price’s home on Staten Island.

According to police, George Baldini, a 20-year-old Staten Island resident, was drunk when he smashed his Chevy Tahoe into Price’s small car. Baldini was expected to be arraigned on Sunday, April 26, 2009.

Baldini was also involved in a separate case from the drunk driving incident. He pleaded guilty to a 2007 child pornography arrest and is awaiting sentencing. Baldini had emailed child pornography to a police officer who had been posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to prosecutors.

Lawsuit Filed in New York Over Faulty Elevators

According to a federal class-action lawsuit that is expected to be filed, New York City’s public housing agency is violating the rights of tenants with disabilities and other health problems by failing to properly maintain its elevators, which has left them stranded for hours during frequent breakdowns.

The plaintiff, which includes seven tenants, has accused the city agency of a “widespread and systemic failure to maintain the elevators in its buildings in operable working condition” in violation of human rights and disability laws.

Wilma Brito, a 38-year-old woman, is one of the seven tenants involved in the lawsuit. She lives on the 10th floor of a building in the George Washington Carver Houses in East Harlem and has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. According to Brito, last month both elevators in her building were not working for three days. Three years ago, she became stuck outside her building at night after both elevators stalled. By the time the elevators were repaired, her wheelchair batteries had died.

The New York City Housing Authority maintains the elevators, which have been under scrutiny since a 5-year-old boy died in August. The boy, Jacob Neuman, fell 10 stories down a shaft after trying to escape from a stalled elevator at a Brooklyn complex. According to elevator experts, there were electrical problems that were linked to faulty maintenance.

The Housing Authority provides low-rent apartments subsidized by the federal government to poor and moderate-income families. The agency is in charge of maintaining 3,338 elevators in 2,618 buildings.

Alcohol Linked to Some Fatal Bike Accidents in New York City

A study published in early April found that 21 percent of bicyclists killed in New York City may have consumed alcohol.

Autopsies were conducted on New Yorkers who had been killed in bicycle accidents. Among those studied, 21 percent of the bodies showed signs of alcohol consumption.

New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene analyzed bicycling fatalities from 1996 to 2005 in cases where the bicyclist died within three hours of the accident. During that time period, 225 bicyclists died and 176 of those bicyclists were tested for alcohol. There were only 84 cases that were able to render a decisive result.

The director of the health department’s injury epidemiology unit, Catherine Stayton, told the New York Times that bicycling and alcohol consumption is something that they are going to have to call attention to.

Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said that “It’s a no-brainer to be sober when you ride in New York City. Being alert and conscious of everyone else on the road is the best protection a bicyclist has, and biking while impaired makes our already dangerous streets an even greater risk.”

Norvell made sure to point out that the study does not make it clear as to whether or not alcohol was a contributing factor in the bicycle accidents in New York City.

The study also found that 92 percent of the bicycling fatalities involved a motor vehicle.

Western New York Car Accident Kills 2 Children

Two young children have been killed following a car accident on the Thruway in western New York. A vehicle ran off the Thruway and flipped, which took the lives of a 4-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister, according to state police.

New York State Troopers said that Steven Ambrusko, a 35-year-old Buffalo resident, was heading eastbound on Interstate 90 when his car veered off the right shoulder, went down an embankment and overturned just after 5:00 PM on Monday, April 6, 2009. The crash took place on eastbound Interstate 90 between exits 60 and 59.

Ambrusko’s two children, Peter and Katherine were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. He was hospitalized, but according to police, his injuries are not life-threatening.

Captain Michael Nigrelli said that both children were properly restrained in booster seats in the back seat of the car.

The fatal crash occurred in the Chautauqua County town of Portland, approximately 50 miles southwest of Buffalo.

Investigators are still looking into the cause of the accident. Nigrelli does not believe that weather was a factor in the crash.

Crane Company Warned Before Fatal New York Crane Accident

New York Crane and Equipment Corp., the owner of the crane that collapsed on East 91st Street in New York in May 2008, had been warned about fixes. According to email correspondence, a Chinese company that was contracted to repair a critical component in the crane, warned New York Crane 10 months before the fatal accident that it doubted its ability to adequately perform the wielding required to repair the machinery.

The Chinese Company, RTR Bearings, was still hired by New York Crane despite the warning, to weld the tower crane’s damaged turntable. The email messages showing the correspondence between the two companies surfaced in lawsuits filed by the families of the two construction workers killed in the crane collapse last year.

According to investigators, the weld in the re-built turntable failed, which caused the top of the tower crane to break away and fall to the street, killing the construction workers, Ramadan Kurtaj, 27, and Donald C. Leo, 30. Attorneys who are representing the families said that the email messages are part of a long trail of evidence showing negligence and corruption by the crane company, the developer of the residential tower and the city’s Buildings Department, which have all been named as defendants.

Investigators have also been aware of RTR Bearings’ role in repairing a bearing ring for the turntable and they are trying to determine whether that weld contributed to the fatal New York crane collapse.

The crane collapsed on May 30, 2008 when its cab and boom snapped and crashed into a nearby building.

New York Community College Raises Awareness of Drinking and Driving

Someone is killed by an impaired driver every 30 minutes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That figures means that on average, 50 people are killed every day, which makes drinking and driving one of the most frequent violent crimes in the country.

College students, ages 18 to 24, are often victims of drunk driving accidents and account for a high percentage of deaths each year. According to a national survey, 2.1 million college-aged students admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol the past year. In New York, college students frequent the bars, night clubs and parties and then get behind the wheel drunk. In Tompkins County, there were 417 DWI arrests in 2008 and 101 DWI arrests in Cortland County.

In response to the epidemic of drunk driving accidents, Tompkins Cortland Community College will be hosting a national traveling exhibit called “Friends,” which will show the unintended consequences of drunk driving. The exhibit focuses on the lives of seven upstate New York college students who were involved in a fatal alcohol-related accident in November 2000 near Colgate University. The exhibit is supposed to raise awareness among college and high school students of the impact of DWI crashes.

The traveling exhibit is free and open to the entire community. It includes photos, possessions, interviews of victim’s friends and family members and visual and audio recordings.

FDA Warns Some Weight Loss Products Are Tainted

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded its nationwide alert regarding tainted weight loss products that contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients. Some of these ingredients include fenproporex, fluoxetine, furosemide and cetillistat.

Some weight loss products, including Herbal Xenicol, Slimbionic, Perfect Slim and Xsvelten have been found, along with 72 other weight loss products, to contain these undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients. According to the FDA, these tainted weight loss products create a serious risk to consumers.

Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research was quoted in an FDA press release as saying that some weight loss products “contain undeclared ingredients and in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed maximum recommended dosages. Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain dangerous drugs that could cause serious consequences to their health.”

The first warning from the FDA regarding weight loss products occurred in December 2008 and the list of weight loss products was expanded on January 8, 2009 and in March 2009. The list now contains 72 products and is being updated regularly by the FDA.

Many of the products included in the FDA’s warning are marketed as dietary supplements and some claim to be “natural” or contain only “herbal” ingredients, even though they contain potentially dangerous ingredients not listed on the products’ labels or promotional advertisements. The FDA has not approved these products and they are considered illegal.

To view the full list of tainted weight loss products, visit the FDA’s website.

Eyewitness Investigation - Qualifications of NY Crane Inspectors

Following the fatal crane accident that killed seven people on Manhattan’s East Side, New York officials have taken steps to improve safety in the construction industry. An ABC Eyewitness Report looked into whether or not officials really fixed the problem.

The crane accidents that occurred last year exposed corruption and understaffing inside New York City’s crane inspection unit. Since the crane collapse, the city has hired more crane inspectors, but their qualifications have been questioned. According to ABC, instead of hiring highly-experienced crane experts within the construction industry, the city filled the new positions from inside the building’s department. The inspectors chosen have little crane experience.

Currently, there are forty tower cranes in New York City, which is 20 percent more than last year. The city has taken measures to improve crane safety by performing comprehensive crane inspections, creating a tracking system for critical crane parts and increasing the amount of training for city crane inspectors.

The Department of Buildings is planning to rely on its specialized crane inspectors to enforce these new safety measures. Following the crane accidents last year, the amount of inspectors more than doubled to eleven. Each inspector has completed 170 hours of training for cranes and rigging. However, five of the new inspectors come from other divisions within the department. Some experts believe that their qualifications are not adequate and fall short of the city’s own requirements listed in the job notice. The majority of the new crane inspectors have little or no specific experience working with cranes.

A spokesman from the Department of Buildings said the city has the toughest crane regulations in the country, which have been made even tougher by new laws mandating training for tower crane workers.

Supreme Court Rules Regarding Drug Manufacturer Case

According to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, pharmaceutical companies can be sued over serious side effects of drugs even when the warning labels have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 judgment against the drug manufacturer Wyeth, which could open the door to litigation in thousands of similar drug cases.

The ruling was in favor of Diana Levine, a musician who had lost her arm to gangrene after receiving the Phenergan injection. Levine had been awarded $6.7 million in damages by a Vermont court in her lawsuit against Wyeth, the company that manufactures Phenergan.

Levine had gone to a local health clinic in April 2000 for treatment for a migraine headache. She was given the Phenergan injection. A physician’s assistant injected the drug intravenously, which caused the Phenergan to enter Levine’s artery. As a result, she developed gangrene and doctors had to amputate her right forearm. According to evidence presented by Levine, there have been at least 20 other cases in which the use of Phenergan resulted in gangrene and amputation.

The trial court had concluded that Levine’s injuries wouldn’t have occurred if Phenergan’s label had included an adequate warning about the risks of delivering it by means of intravenous injection.

Wyeth had argued to the Supreme Court that the FDA had approved warning labels for Phenergan and that this approval took precedence over the state law where the lawsuit was filed.

Some believe that the judgment opens the way for individuals to bring lawsuits against manufacturers for negligence even when the FDA has approved a drug and its warning label.

Two Long Island Roads Considered Deadly for Pedestrians

Two roads in Long Island are believed to be the deadliest for pedestrians. According to a Manhattan-based nonprofit organization, known as the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Nassau’s Hempstead Turnpike and Sunrise Highway in Suffolk are among the deadliest roads for pedestrians in New York.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign based its rankings on roadways in a single county. Information was gathered regarding pedestrian accidents in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from 2005 to 2007. The nonprofit group discovered that these two Long Island roads were the deadliest in the region.

According to Ryan Lynch, the group’s Long Island coordinator and senior planner, the report shows the need for Long Island planners to consider their priorities.

“They're really just building roads to move cars as fast as possible through intersections, which creates a really hostile environment for pedestrians," said Lynch, who encouraged state transportation officials to "embrace more ideas that protect pedestrians and cyclists."

The majority of the 15 deaths that occurred on Hempstead Turnpike were in Elmont, Franklin Square and Hempstead. Last year, Newsday even reported that Hempstead Turnpike had the highest concentration of accident-prone locations in Long Island.

In Suffolk, a dozen pedestrians were killed on Sunrise Highway during the study period. There were 7 deaths on Nassau’s portion of the highway during the same period.

The study reports that there were 184 pedestrian fatalities on Long Island roads between 2005 and 2007.

One of the deaths included Eleanor Messana, 58. She was killed after she was hit by a motorist while she was crossing a dangerous section of Sunrise Highway in Lindenhurst in 2007. Her sister, Palma Kelly, agrees that the road was among the most dangerous for pedestrians on Long Island.

New York State Department of Transportation is also concerned about pedestrian accidents. Crews install safety measures, such as crosswalk countdown clocks, whenever work is being done on dangerous roads in Long Island.

Consumers Warned Against Dietary Supplement with Undeclared Drug

Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0, a dietary supplement, has been found to contain sibutramine, a controlled substance with risks for abuse or addiction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued this warning after its laboratory analysis showed samples of the product had the undeclared drug that poses potential safety risks.

"Sibutramine is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used as an appetite suppressant for weight loss," said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "But when present in a dietary supplement, it may harm unsuspecting consumers because sibutramine can substantially increase blood pressure and heart rate (pulse), and may present a significant risk for people with a history of heart disease, heart failure, irregular heart beats or stroke."

Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0 is marketed by Applied Lifescience Research Industries Inc. (ALR Industries) based Oak View, California. A recall was initiated on December 24, 2008 by ALR industries, which included all lots of the dietary supplement. The recall followed the results of the FDA laboratory analysis, showing undeclared sibutramine.

On its website, ALR Industries states that there are only “trace amounts” of sibutramine, but according to the FDA laboratory results, Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0 has a substantial amount of sibutramine per dosage unit.

Distributors and retailers sold this dietary supplement throughout the United States and in Canada, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, South Africa, the Netherlands, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. It was packaged in red plastic bottles containing 90 capsules and had the UPC# 094922534743.

The FDA has warned consumers to stop taking Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0 and to contact their doctors if they experience any adverse affects. ALR Industries is also taking consumers’ questions at legal@alrindustries.com. Further instructions are also available by emailing the company.

Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts Recalled After Strangulation Death

On February 12, 2009, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a voluntary recall by Hill Sportswear Inc. of Paramount California of 300,000 hooded drawstring sweatshirts for children. This recall followed a report of a 3-year-old boy in Fresno, California, who was strangled when the drawstring on the hooded sweatshirt that he was wearing became stuck on a playground set.

The recalled children’s sweatshirts include the Kid Pullover Hood Sweatshirt and Kid Zipper Sweatshirt with Hood. Each garment has drawstrings through the hood that should be removed immediately, as they can become caught on objects and could strangle a child. The Kid Pullover Hood has a flat style drawstring at the neck, fleece lining and a middle front pocket. The inside label reads, “HILL/ Made in USA.” The Kid Zipper Sweatshirt with Hood has a rounded style drawstring at the neck, two front pockets and fleece lining. It also has an inside label that reads, “HILL/ Made in USA.”

The recalled sweatshirts were sold by various small retailers from August 1999 through December 2008 for approximately $8.00.

The CPSC is urging parents to promptly remove the drawstrings from the sweatshirts or to return the garment to the place where it was purchased or to Hill Sportswear for a full refund. Hill Sportswear can be reached toll-free at (877) 322-8760 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM PST Monday through Friday.

In February 1996, the CPSC issued guidelines to help prevent children from strangling or getting caught on the neck and waist drawstrings in upper garments, including jackets and sweatshirts.

To read the full press release, visit the CPSC’s website.

Shirley Man Rented Car to Avoid Using Breathalyzer

According to police, a Shirley man rented a car to avoid the court-mandated breath analyzer system in his own vehicle. He ended up crashing into a Brentwood telephone pole and was charged with drunk driving on the morning of Sunday, February 15, 2009.

Marvin Rice Jr., a 27-year-old man, was heading north in his vehicle on Wicks Road in Brentwood at approximately 5:52 AM when he lost control of the rented car and smashed into a pole at Crooked Hill Road, said Suffolk police.

Based on court records, Rice was convicted in 2005 of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) and agreed to participate in the ignition interlock device program, police said.

The ignition interlock device program requires drivers to submit to a breath test before the vehicle can be started. It measures the blood alcohol content of the driver. If alcohol is detected, the engine will not start.

Rice rented a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta from Enterpise Rent-A-Car that was not equipped with the ignition interlock devise, said Suffolk police Sgt. Kevin Beyrer.

Rice was taken by Suffolk police helicopter to Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he was admitted with multiple injuries, according to police. No one else was injured in the accident.

It is believed that he rented the car so that he could drive drunk.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated. Rice has prior convictions, which include endangering the welfare of a child in 2007 and driving without a license in 2005.

Rice has an arraignment scheduled for April 13 at First District Court in Central Islip.

Mother of DWI Suspect in New York Pedestrian Accident Blames Victims

The mother of the DWI suspect who hit a young couple near their Battery Park City home is blaming the victims for the accident.

The accident occurred over the weekend and took the life of Marilyn Feng, a 26-year-old woman. Dennis Loffredo, a 26-year-old man, was injured in the accident, but is expected to make a full recovery.

The New York Daily News reported that a woman, who identified herself as the mother of Jersey City police officer Martin Abreu, said that the two young victims crossed the street against the light when her son hit them. She is blaming the accident on the victim.

“It was her fault,” she told the New York Daily News, referring to Feng, who police pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Police are still trying to confirm if the two pedestrians had the light or not.

Abreu’s mother went on to defend her son by saying she didn’t see anything wrong with her son’s drinking and driving.

“So my son went out and had a couple of drinks. He deserves to have a good time now and then,” she said.

According to police, Feng and Loffredo were crossing West Street early Saturday morning when Abreu hit them, killing Feng instantly and sending Loffredo to the hospital with head and leg injuries.

The Jersey City Police Department is not taking the same stance as Abreu’s mother.

"The charges surrounding this incident are most serious and this type of activity will not be tolerated by the JCPD..." Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said in a statement. "While Mr. Abreu was in no way representing our department when this incident occurred, our primary thoughts are with the injured and the woman who perished. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families."

Abreu is being charged with vehicular manslaughter and DWI, in addition to being suspended from the force.

Eli Lilly to Settlement Over Zyprexa

Eli Lilly, the drug company, has agreed to a settlement of approximately $1.4 billion for criminal and civil charges that it illegally marketed the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for unauthorized use in patients who were vulnerable to its unsafe side effects.

Lilly has been accused of persuading doctors to prescribe Zyprexa to children and the elderly, even though the drug was not federally approved for those two groups of patients.

According to court documents, during one marketing effort, Lilly marketed Zyprexa to geriatricians as a way to sedate unruly nursing home patients so that there would be a reduction in “nursing time and effort.” Zyprexa is unlike other antipsychotic drugs in that it has serious side effects including sudden death, heart failure and life-threatening infections like pneumonia in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis.

Lilly also encouraged doctors to prescribe Zyprexa to disruptive children, despite the fact that the drug is known to cause severe weight gain and metabolic disorders that is particularly pronounced in children. Over the last ten years, the use of Zyprexa among children has increased dramatically.

The $1.4 billion settlement is a record sum for so-called whistle-blower cases, which are federal lawsuits initiated by information from current or former employees of the company. The whistle-blowers for this case have not been revealed to the public.

For years, Lilly executives have claimed that the company’s marketing efforts of Zyprexa were legal and appropriate. Angela Sekson, a Lilly spokeswoman, was asked whether she could repeat those same assurances, but she said, “it would be inappropriate for me to comment further right now.”

Even though Lilly has agreed to the settlement, it doesn’t mean that doctors will stop prescribing the drug to elderly patients and children. Physicians have the right to prescribe medications as they see fit. However, Lilly will no longer be able to promote Zyprexa for uses other than what has been approved by the FDA.

Correction Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail

Guards reputedly sent inmates to intimidate, threaten and silence uncooperative prisoners with brute force. Inmates were ordered to turn over money, and their every move, including when they could use the bathroom, was controlled. If word of an assault got out, the guards would allegedly orchestrate a cover-up.

For more information, follow the link below.

Bus rear-ended, 12 riders injured

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A dozen New York City bus riders were injured Tuesday when the vehicle was rear-ended by a school bus that did not have any children aboard, authorities said.

The B11 city bus was hit from behind just before 7 a.m. while it was stopped at the intersection of 49th Street and 14th Avenue in New York's Brooklyn borough, WABC-TV in New York reported.

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10 hurt in Brooklyn bus accident

NEW YORK - Authorities say 10 people have been injured _ one seriously _ in an accident involving a New York City bus in Brooklyn.

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New York Construction Accident News - Crane collapse-grand jury indicts contractor

A contractor was charged with manslaughter Monday for allegedly using worn, fraying safety straps. The straps broke apart and caused a crane to crash down on a Manhattan neighborhood, killing seven people. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), in one of the city’s worst construction accidents in decades, William Rapetti and his company, Rapetti Rigging Services Inc., were indicted by a New York grand jury. Court documents reveal indictments on seven counts of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide when a 19-story tower crane collapsed on March 15, 2008. The accident totaled a townhouse and upset the quiet neighborhood located just a few blocks from the United Nations.

For more information, follow the link below.

Van left in reverse kills 2 kids walking in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — An unoccupied delivery van mistakenly left in reverse jumped a curb and barreled into a group of children returning to their day care center after a trip to the library Thursday, killing two of them and seriously injuring a third, police said.

Fourteen other children were hospitalized for treatment of minor injuries.

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Appeal reinstates lawsuit against Sussex County over motorcycle crash

The state Appellate Division today reinstated a lawsuit against Sussex County by a New York woman who crashed her motorcycle on a hairpin curve on Route 607 in Hopatcong four years ago.

Kathleen Fitzgerald, 51, of Staten Island filed the lawsuit after she crashed her Harley-Davidson motorcycle on the 135-degree curve on May 30, 2004, the appellate ruling states. The road also is known as Maxim Drive.

For more information, follow the link below.

Police Say Internal Affairs Did Its Part in Subway Inquiry

The New York Police Department has defended its handling of the investigation into a 24-year-old tattoo parlor employee’s claims that officers beat and sodomized him with a piece of police equipment in Brooklyn in October.

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NYC high school freshman hit, killed by school bus

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say a high school freshman in New York City has been struck and killed by a school bus.

New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Margie Feinberg says the 14-year-old girl was struck while walking to Francis Lewis High School in the Queens section of New York City. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

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NY cops charged in subway sodomy assault

A New York police officer was charged with using a baton to sodomise a detainee in a shocking assault at a city subway station.

The officer was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault and faces up to 25 years prison if convicted, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said on Tuesday. Two other officers were charged with attempting a cover-up.

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Report Sounds Alarm on Child Accidents

Around the globe, accidents kill 830,000 children — the equivalent of all the children in Chicago — every year, according to a report issued Tuesday by the World Health Organization and Unicef.

For more information, follow the link below.

Two Women Die in Queens Livery Accident

A man suspected in the beating death of a financial worker in Manhattan in 2006 now faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving after a crash that killed the driver of a livery cab and her passenger early Sunday in Queens, the police said.

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GSP crash leaves Brooklyn man critical

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP -- According to the Press of Atlantic City, a Brooklyn man is in critical condition following a three-vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway between a SUV towing a sedan using a nylon rope and a Greyhound bus.

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Bicyclist, 21, killed in Bronx hit-run

A bicyclist was crushed to death by a speeding delivery truck in a hit-and-run accident in an industrial section of the Bronx early Tuesday, police said.

The white box truck raced from the scene, leaving 21-year-old Faustino Morales dead, police said.

"I saw the body, but I couldn't look," said Lennox Williams, 58, a shop foreman at A.L. Eastmond and Sons, a boiler-making company. "He was dead - dead right here."

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Reckless Taxi Nearly Kills Child On 30 Rock Set

Shooting on U.S. sitcom 30 Rock was abruptly halted on Wednesday (19Nov08) after a taxi collided into the show's set - nearly killing a nine-year-old child.

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Honda to Demonstrate Advanced Safety Technology in New York

NEW YORK, Nov 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Honda ( http://www.honda.com) engineers will demonstrate an advanced vehicle-to-vehicle communications system that helps vehicles avoid collisions with one another as part of Honda's participation in the 15th annual World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems. This will be done by showing a working prototype system on a public road in front of the Jacob Javits Center on Nov. 17-20, 2008.

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Priest Runs New York City Marathon to Honor Killed Construction Workers

When the Rev. Brain Jordan leaves the starting line at today’s New York City Marathon, he won’t be running for a personal best time over the 26.2 mile course. The Catholic priest who serves as the chaplin for the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) will be pounding the pavement through the city’s five boroughs to honor construction workers killed and seriously injured on the job this year.

For more information, follow the link below.

Car, Fire Truck Involved in Accident in Brooklyn

NEW YORK (AP) -- Fire officials say four occupants of a car suffered minor injuries after their vehicle flipped over during an accident with a fire truck in Brooklyn.

The five firefighters aboard the truck were not injured in the 1:35 p.m. accident on Friday in the borough's Bay Ridge section.

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Road rage along Parkway leads to crash, arrest

A Brooklyn man forced another driver off the Garden State Parkway and then threatened the victim as he lay on the ground after being ejected from his car Friday afternoon, according to State Police.

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Lawsuit claims 13 years of clergy abuse

In the ninth civil lawsuit naming convicted abuser Francis DeLuca, along with the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, an anonymous 40-year-old plaintiff claims the former priest abused him for 13 years, beginning when he was 11.

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Mom, Boy Get Stuck in Middle of 2-Car Crash in Brooklyn

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A woman was seriously injured and her young son was killed when they became stuck in the middle of a two-car accident on Kings Highway and East 95th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn Friday afternoon, according to authorities.

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Construction worker deaths fell in NYC in 2007

NEW YORK -

Construction deaths fell by nearly half in New York City last year after spiking the year before, according to a federal report released Monday.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures came amid heightened concern about construction safety after a spate of deadly accidents this year. Roughly 20 construction workers have died in accidents citywide this year, approaching last year's total of 24, most of them killed in falls.

Police identify victim in Melville LIE crash

Suffolk County police on Thursday identified a woman killed on the Long Island Expressway in Melville in a chain-reaction crash that began when another driver swerved as he changed lanes, Suffolk police said.

Luann Izzo, 54, of Deer Park, died in the Wednesday morning accident, police said.

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Train Hits Car, and a G.P.S. Is Blamed

BEDFORD HILLS, N.Y. (AP) — For the second time this year, a G.P.S. device has been blamed for an accident involving a vehicle and a Metro-North Railroad train in this hamlet in Westchester County.

No one was injured.

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Fiery NY accident claims biker's life

CLARKSTOWN, N.Y. - Police say a motorcyclist has been killed in a fiery crash with a car in suburban New York.

The unidentified victim lay on the lawn in front of a home Tuesday morning, covered with a yellow tarp.

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Another crane topples on US building site

Another crane has toppled over on a construction site in the US, just weeks after new crane safety guidelines were issued.

The accident occurred on Monday morning in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, when a crane's boom fell forward onto exposed steel beams, damaging a school that was under construction.

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Strategies and Attitudes of Walkers in New York

From the table in Bryant Park where he was sipping an iced coffee last Thursday, Paris Dickey had a perfect view of the scaffolding around the high-rise tower from which a 1,500-pound glass panel had fallen two days earlier.

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Brooklyn Boy, 5, Falls 10 Stories to His Death After Public Housing Elevator Stalls

A 5-year-old Brooklyn boy fell 10 stories down an elevator shaft to his death on Tuesday in a public housing complex where residents had complained of recurring problems with the elevators and renovations had been delayed because of federal cutbacks.

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Thirty people lift school bus to save pregnant woman in New York

Thirty New York City residents are being hailed as heroes today after they hoisted a wrecked school bus to rescue a pregnant traffic agent trapped beneath the five-tonne vehicle.

While Donnette Sanz, the victim of yesterday's auto accident, could not be saved, her infant son was delivered safely at a nearby hospital thanks to the quick thinking of strangers who rushed to her aid.

Councilman Seeks to Ban Text Messaging at Wheel

Councilman David I. Weprin’s 16-year old twins are like a lot of teenagers: They text-message their friends every few minutes. And they cannot wait to get their driver’s licenses.

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New York Construction Company Fined for Worker's Accidental Electrocution

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued $15,000 in fines to CKR Construction in the death of 44-year-old John Rodriguez. He was electrocuted in February while working at a Consolidated Edison property in Queens.

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New York man indicted in connection with fatal crash

GOSHEN – A 35-year-old Floral Park, Queens man has been indicted by an Orange County grand jury in connection with the death of a man who was a passenger in his car as he drove through the Town of Newburgh on May 24.

George Cook, who was with Hardeep Singh, was killed in the crash.

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Four New York teens injured in bus crash

PANGUITCH - Joseph Larkin was sleeping on a tour bus Thursday morning when his world was suddenly turned upside down.
The 16-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., was one of 55 people on the bus when it drifted off the shoulder of State Road 12 in Red Canyon, about 12 miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park, and rolled 2 1/2 times into a dry wash, ending up on its roof.

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Lindsay Lohan fine after accident

NEW YORK - Lindsay Lohan is fine after being hospitalized for a motorcycle accident early Saturday morning, dad Michael told the New York Post on Sunday.

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Police say men crashed truck twice on same street

Police say two drunken friends crashed their pickup truck into a parked car in New York City's northern suburbs and then drove down the street and crashed it again. Peekskill Detective Sgt. Eric Johansen said he's "never seen anything like it."

The crashes happened over the weekend.

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New York Burn Victims Fight Back

A Queens man and his 2-year-old daughter who were badly burned when an explosion damaged their building are "hanging in there," the family's pastor said as he prayed for all of the blast's victims.

"We ask that everyone pray for all the families," said Raul Latoni, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Flushing, which counts nine of the displaced families among its congregation. "We will try to help them rebuild their lives."

For more information, follow the link below.

New York Burn Victims Fight Back

A Queens man and his 2-year-old daughter who were badly burned when an explosion damaged their building are "hanging in there," the family's pastor said as he prayed for all of the blast's victims.

For more information, follow the link below.

FDA Gives Warnings and Instructions for Heparin Sodium Injection (Baxter)

As another Baby dies from a link to Heparin the folowing was issued from the FDA recently

Heparin sodium is an anticoagulant (blood thinner) that is commonly administered intravenously. It is used in patients undergoing kidney dialysis, certain types of cardiac surgery, and treatment or prevention of other serious medical conditions, including deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary emboli. In many settings heparin treatment is initiated using high doses (5000-50,000 units) given directly into the blood stream (intravenously) as a bolus (over a short period of time, usually a few minutes). Serious adverse events have recently been reported in patients who received these higher bolus doses. The serious adverse events include allergic or hypersensitivity-type reactions, with symptoms of oral swelling, nausea, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, and cases of severe hypotension requiring treatment. Most events developed within minutes of heparin initiation although the possibility for a delayed response has not been excluded.. The reports have largely involved use of multiple-dose vials. However there have been several cases in which product from multiple, single-dose vials have been combined to administer a bolus dose.

FDA is providing the following recommendations to physicians, dialysis center staff, and other health care providers when using heparin sodium for injection.

When bolus use is required, try to use a heparin product from another manufacturer or an alternate anticoagulant
When Baxter product is the only heparin product available and use of heparin is considered to be medically necessary:
- Administer infusions without using a bolus dose whenever possible
- Use the lowest dose necessary at the slowest infusion rate acceptable to obtain the desired effect
- Closely monitor the patient for adverse events, particularly hypotension and signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity, and ensure that resuscitation equipment is available.
- Consider the potential risks and benefits in individual patients of pretreatment with corticosteroids or antihistamines before the heparin is administered. At this time FDA does not have data to determine if such pretreatment is effective.

Heparin sodium is a pork-derived product that has been marketed in the United States for nearly 70 years. It is estimated that over 1 million multiple-dose vials of heparin are sold per month in the U.S., about half of which are manufactured and distributed by Baxter Since late December 2007 Baxter and FDA have received nearly 350 reports of adverse reactions, and about 40% of the cases are estimated as serious, based upon preliminary and ongoing review. The number of reports seen in the past two months is a marked increase from the number of reports associated with heparin use normally received in a similar time period.

The majority of reported events occurred at hemodialysis centers. In early January, 2008, clusters of these allergic adverse event reports came to the attention of the CDC and to Baxter. Available data at that time suggested a link of these cases to product from specific heparin manufacturing lots. This resulted in Baxter recalling 9 product lots on January 17, 2008. FDA initiated inspections of Baxter’s U.S. manufacturing plant and processes the same day.

Since the January product recall, new reports indicate that adverse events are not limited to only the recalled heparin lots. Baxter and FDA have learned of cases occurring in hospitals where heparin was used during cardiac surgery and in patients undergoing photopheresis. Like the events associated with dialysis, most have resolved with medical management. Four patients have died since these adverse events were noted; the relationship between the deaths and the heparin use is not certain.

The underlying cause for the abrupt increase in the number of adverse events reported for Baxter’s heparin sodium is under investigation. FDA inspectors and scientists are working independently and in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Baxter to discover the underlying cause of the adverse events. FDA personnel and laboratories are conducting intensive inspection and testing related to Baxter’s heparin sodium. FDA is also seeking advice from outside experts in the manufacture and clinical use of heparin in order to help guide our investigation.

Crane collapses at Houston refinery, killing 4

HOUSTON (AP) — Hitting the ground with enough force to lift a worker off the ground, one of the nation's largest mobile cranes collapsed at a Houston oil refinery, killing four workers and injuring seven others.

As federal officials prepared to investigate the latest in a string of fatal accidents involving cranes, the Louisiana company that owns the 300-foot-tall piece of equipment said it would pursue its own probe of Friday's incident. Deep South Crane & Rigging spokeswoman Margaret Landry issued a statement from the company's headquarters in Baton Rouge, saying it was investigating "to determine the root cause, correct it and ensure that this type of tragedy does not occur again."

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Brooklyn Girl Critical after Another Hit & Run

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Another child was struck by a hit and run driver in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Police say a 9-year-old Brooklyn girl is in critical condition after a tan Nissan Maxima slammed into her just before 9 p.m. Saturday. The accident happened when the girl was crossing Rockaway Ave., near Glenmore Ave. in Brownsville.

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Crane inspector arrested after two New York accidents

NEW YORK (AFP) — New York City's chief inspector for cranes on construction sites was arrested Friday and charged with corruption after two crane collapses in March and May killed nine people, the city's mayor said.

"The arrest of this inspector is a good reminder to any city employee -- or any private company -- that bribery and fraud will be discovered and punished to the full extent of the law," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

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Manslaughter charge in NYC construction accident

NEW YORK -

A Brooklyn construction site owner who hired $100-a-day laborers to build a laundromat was charged with manslaughter Wednesday for the death of a worker who was crushed by a crumbling wall.

Authorities said the indictment of William Lattarulo should serve as a warning to contractors performing shoddy construction work in a building boom that has caused dozens of construction accidents and 16 deaths this year.

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City commissioner wants feds to act on crane safety

WASHINGTON - New York City is tightening inspection and maintenance regulations on high-rise cranes like those involved in two fatal accidents since March - but a top city official yesterday also pressed the federal government to do more.

"We are acting now, but this should fall under federal requirements because these cranes follow construction sites across state lines," acting city Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri said before a House labor committee hearing.

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Police arrest driver of truck in fatal NYC crash

NEW YORK - The driver of a truck that slammed into a car in Manhattan and killed a passenger has been arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide.

Police say the 22-year-old man from Garfield, N.J., was also charged with driving while intoxicated in the Sunday morning crash.

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4 injured as car veers onto sidewalk in New York

For the fourth time in two days, a car plowed into pedestrians on a New York City sidewalk, hurting four people in the latest of a strange outbreak of wrecks.

Saturday's accident in Brooklyn injured two toddlers and came a day after cars veered onto sidewalks at three locations in Manhattan, hitting a total of 18 people. Three were hospitalized.

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Dank, shabby and deafening, New York metro moves millions

NEW YORK (AFP) — Five million people ride New York City's under and above-ground railway every day, braving a vast, aging system that is dilapidated, deafening, and prone to floods, escalator outages and sealed-off exits.

Now the inconveniences they endure have been laid bare with the belated publication of a survey of the system's unreliable elevators and escalators, alongside a months-long investigative report by The New York Times.

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Four die in New York crane collapse

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Emergency workers on Sunday continued searching for victims or survivors of a crane collapse that killed four construction workers and injured 17 others at a four-story townhouse in Manhattan.

Crews used search dogs and heat-sensing cameras as they looked through the rubble, The Associated Press reported.

Three of the injured were in critical condition after Saturday's collapse, authorities said. Five firefighters had minor injuries.

Seven dead in New York crane accident

NEW YORK (AFP) — Seven people were killed over the weekend when a construction crane collapsed in New York, police said Monday, reporting the discovery of three more bodies in the rubble.

Four construction workers were initially confirmed dead in Saturday's accident, which saw a 60-meter (200-foot) crane collapse and crush an entire residential building and damage several other properties.

Out of Nowhere, a Thud, and Then Blood

IT was late morning, a few Sundays ago. My wife and I were returning to Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, via car, from tea and scones in Greenwich Village. At the approach to the intersection of Chambers and Centre Streets, right next to City Hall Park and close to the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, we pulled up to a line of cars stopped at the light.

A cluster of television news vans was parked on the sidewalk for a news conference. Near one of the vans, a reporter was using the rectangular rear-view as a makeup mirror. My wife and I idly watched as she finished her touch-ups and started to cross the street.

Conference examines how clergy abuse is handled by dioceses worldwide

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Father Joe Mathias sat and listened, scribbling notes at times, paying careful attention to Teresa Kettelkamp, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection.

Kettelkamp was talking about the latest efforts by dioceses across the country to protect children from abuse. For the Jesuit priest from India, it was an education.

For more information, follow the link below.

City’s Buildings Chief Resigns as Outcry on Accidents Grows

Facing pressure from City Hall and growing criticism for a spike in fatal construction accidents, Buildings Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster resigned on Tuesday, becoming the first commissioner to leave the Bloomberg administration under a cloud of public controversy.

Construction Workers Critical after Separate Incidents

NEW YORK (AP) -- A construction worker was critically injured Tuesday after falling 25 feet while trying to secure a steel beam at an office tower being built near the East River, officials said.

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Ambulance Crash Injures Six People

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Six people have been injured in an ambulance crash in Lower Manhattan.

Police say the accident happened around 11:00 a.m. Tuesday near East Houston Street and Avenue C.

The ambulance driver and one other person were listed in serious condition and rushed to Bellevue Hospital.

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1 Injured After Car Collides With Tractor-Trailer

NEW YORK -- One person was injured after a car collided with a tractor-trailer on the New England Thruway in the Bronx on Tuesday.

The accident happened around 10:51 a.m. on the northbound side at exit 13. The car got wedged under the tanker, caught fire and was extinguished.

The driver of the car was taken to Jacobi Hospital with a minor injury.

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LI boy struck by car after buying ice cream in coma

MELVILLE, N.Y. - Doctors are keeping a 7-year-old Long Island boy in a medically induced coma after he was struck by a car passing an ice cream truck where he bought a treat.

Javier (Ha-VEE'-yehr) Reyes (RAY'-es) remains in critical condition at Stony Brook University Medical Center.

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Car Thief Leads Police on Chase, Crashes

A car thief who blew past a stop sign Sunday morning took Jersey City cops to Secaucus and back before crashing the stolen van on Tonnelle Avenue, police reports said.

Steven Montgomery, 24, of Franklin Street in Newark, was charged with receiving stolen property, eluding a police officer and resisting arrest, reports said.

Two People Injured After Car Jumps Curb in Manhattan

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Two pedestrians are slightly injured after a car jumped the curb and hit some scaffolding on East 27th Street in Manhattan.

A fire department spokesman says the accident occurred near Madison Avenue at 8:11 a.m. Tuesday.

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Car jumps NYC courthouse steps, pinning man

NEW YORK - Hours after a car hurtled up the courthouse stairs made famous by "Law & Order," injuring six people, a pedestrian was hit by a taxi across the street just yards away.

The taxi slammed into the pedestrian just before 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Pearl and Centre streets _ about 60 feet from the first accident.

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A slow return to normalcy in Manhattan area scarred by crane accident

The boom of debris landing in metal trash bins echoed down the street, startling pedestrians in a neighborhood still scarred by the crane accident that killed seven -- including Staten Islander Anthony Mazza -- and upended life in this stretch of midtown Manhattan.

Workers are clearing the site where the 20-story crane crushed one town house and damaged at least seven other buildings. But the sound of things getting back to normal is an unwelcome reminder for some.

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Staten Island teen killed in car crash

A Staten Island teen-ager was killed in a freak accident on a New Jersey road Saturday night, after he and his girlfriend's cars simultaneously lost control on a tricky bend, then crashed into each other and a tree.

The crash happened at about 10:15 p.m. in Tabernacle, N.J. -- about 65 miles south of Staten Island.

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Car Crash Stops Subway Service

A car crashed through a chain-link fence, plunged roughly 30 feet onto subway tracks and burst into flames in Brooklyn early Saturday, disrupting service on the N line for several hours, authorities said.

The accident occurred just before 5 a.m. at 63rd Street and 15th Avenue at the New Utrecht Avenue station, where the D and M lines connect with the N.

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Catholic Dioceses Promoting Child Abuse Awareness Month

WASHINGTON, March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catholic dioceses
nationwide will promote Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Plans call
for raising awareness through special prayers during Sunday Masses,
diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.

Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in
the United States. As a result, an estimated 1.6 millions persons have
undergone background checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for
ordination, educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe
environment programs and approximately 6 million children in parish school
and religious education programs have received age-appropriate instruction
in this area.

For more information, follow the link below.

Unsafe at Any Speed, With any Driver

Every year, about 42,000 people die in automobile-related accidents in the U.S. In 1930, when there were about a tenth of the number of autos on the road, more than 31,000 people in the U.S. were killed by cars. "The automobile is here to slay," said one newspaper, its typo speaking volumes.

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Woman, 84, Killed In Queens Hit-And-Run Crash, Police Say

NEW YORK -- An 84-year-old woman was struck and killed by a hit and run driver in Queens late Friday, police say.

The woman was crossing Union Turnpike in Glen Oaks when the crash occurred, police said.

The driver of the car fled. Police said the vehicle was a late model, two-door sedan in a gold or tan color.

New York City to Consider New Laws After Skyscraper Deaths Rise

Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- New York City's buildings commissioner called for laws to require registration of concrete contractors and hiring of safety managers after a surge in construction worker deaths and injuries during a record building boom.

Fatalities on high rises -- projects of 15 stories or more -- rose to five last year from one in 2006 and injuries increased 63 percent, to 52, according to the New York City Buildings Department. More than 60 percent involved materials falling during concrete pouring.

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Schumer wants elder abuse law

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday said it was time for the federal government to get serious about elder abuse.

Schumer said the swift passage of the Elder Justice Act, which is pending before the Senate's finance committee, would be the first piece of federal legislation to directly deal with elder abuse.

Schumer said that in 2007, about 8,693 cases of elder abuse were reported in New York, with 120 cases reported in Cayuga County, but a study from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging shows that more than 80 percent of elder abuse goes unreported, which could raise the number in Cayuga County to nearly 600 cases.

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One Dead, Four Injured in Stolen Car Chase

NEW YORK - Police say one person was killed and four others were injured in an accident involving a stolen vehicle on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

Police said Thursday they came across the accident after losing sight of the stolen vehicle, a 1997 Nissan Infiniti, which they had been following.

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1 killed, 4 injured in Brooklyn stolen vehicle accident

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Bus Accident Injures Ten

BINGHAMTON -- Ten passengers on a Greyhound bus were taken to local hospitals Monday after a driver-in-training went off the road and crashed into a tree off Route 17 west/Interstate 81 north at exit 4S in Binghamton.

The injuries consisted mostly of facial and back injuries and none were deemed serious, but almost all of the 31 passengers on board complained about headaches, according to Binghamton police

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Scaffold Falls, Killing Worker in Brooklyn

A construction worker fell 12 stories to his death in Brooklyn on Wednesday when the scaffold he was standing on collapsed, apparently because of high winds, according to city officials and witnesses.

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Queens: Eight Injured in Fire Truck Crash

Eight people were injured on Thursday in a crash in Laurelton involving a United States Postal Service tractor-trailer, a taxicab and a fire engine responding to an emergency, the Fire Department said. The injured, five firefighters and three civilians, were taken to area hospitals. The Fire Department said the accident, which occurred about 3:15 p.m. at 225th Street and Conduit Avenue, was under investigation. The truck driver, who was not identified, was in critical condition Thursday evening, the police said. The injuries to the firefighters and the other civilians were said not to be life-threatening.

LIE reopens after two-car crash

A pre-dawn two-car accident closed down the eastbound Long Island Expressway Wednesday, causing a massive traffic jam that stretched miles in both directions before the crash scene was finally cleared at about 6:45 a.m.

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At least one injured in spectacular crash

AUBURNDALE-WABC -- Two people were hurt in a spectacular car accident in Auburndale, Queens, Thursday.

Police say an out-of-control car overturned near a house at 144-24 20th Avenue, near Parsons Boulevard, around 3:30 p.m.

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Secretive Allstate File Could Show 'Bad Faith'

TAMPA - Behind the fight between Florida's insurance commissioner and Allstate Insurance Co. is a mystery that could have come from a John Grisham novel.

Secret Allstate documents - known as the McKinsey documents - allegedly show how the insurance giant intentionally has made low-ball claims offers to its customers for years, netting Allstate billions of dollars in the process.

But the McKinsey documents have never seen the light of day.

Trial lawyers who have sued Allstate in recent years have eagerly sought them, and Allstate reluctantly has turned them over to lawyers under subpoena. However, each time a judge has prohibited lawyers from distributing them to the media and the public under a protective order.

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New York Docs Feeling Ill Over Proposed Insurance Surcharge

There are worries that a proposed $50,000 surcharge on all MD's in the state could do irreparable harm to New York's health care community. The state's medical malpractice liability fund is underfunded, and state insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo is looking for ideas.

Doctors unable to obtain liability insurance from commercial carriers are required to get insurance from a pool for high-risk doctors called the Medical Malpractice Insurance Plan, which charges doctors at least 290% the going rate of insurance for their profession. The pool is in the red right now, however, and it falls upon commercial carriers to cover any deficits.

Escalator accident likely mechanical

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Authorities on Monday took a cursory inspection of the Giants Stadium escalator that malfunctioned and injured seven people this weekend after the Giants’ loss to the New England Patriots.

“We took a very cursory look and we’re planning to get everybody together…to determine what may have failed on that escalator,” said James Minish, vice president of facilities for the state Sports and Exposition Authority.

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Hit and Run Driver Caught by Civilians

NEW YORK - Bystanders to a deadly car accident in Brooklyn leaped into action Friday when the driver tried to escape.

A group of witnesses to the hit-and-run crash said they chased the motorist on foot and in vehicles, grabbed him and stuffed him into a cab, which returned him to the scene of the crime.

"I was glad we got the bastard," Chris Blake, 41, of Bay Ridge, told the Daily News. "He killed a guy. He was meant to get caught. He deserves to go to jail."

Charges dropped in NYC bus crash that left children hurt

NEW YORK - Prosecutors have dropped charges against the driver of a van that was carrying seven children who were hurt when it collided with a New York City bus.

Queens District Attorney spokesman Kevin Ryan says charges against the 60-year-old driver would not be pursued because of a lack of evidence to sustain criminal charges.

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Bicyclist killed when car door opens, sending him into truck's path

His nickname was "Lights" because he always put bike safety first.

But Wednesday morning, cyclist David Smith fell victim to the very accident he always warned friends about.

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Son of Brooklyn Brewery owner dies in accident

NEW YORK - The son of one of the founders of the Brooklyn Brewery died in a freak bike accident when he fell off the upper level of the Manhattan Bridge to the lower level and into oncoming traffic.

Sam Hindy, 27, and a friend had been drinking at bars in lower Manhattan and were headed to Brooklyn shortly before midnight Friday when they mistakenly entered the upper roadway, which is reserved for car traffic.

Report: New York’s Med Mal Crisis Self-Inflicted

ALBANY–Shortsighted policy decisions by New York’s government in the 1990s are responsible for the purported medical malpractice “crisis” in the state according to a report released by Public Citizen, New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and the Center for Medical Consumers.

The report urges Gov. Eliot Spitzer and a task force studying malpractice to focus on ways to improve patient safety and to resist pleas from the insurance industry and the state’s doctors to pare back patients’ legal rights. It has been sent to Spitzer, the task force and New York state lawmakers. The report, A Self-Inflicted “Crisis:” New York’s Medical Malpractice Insurance Troubles Caused By Flawed State Rate Setting and Raid on Rainy Day Fund, was written by Public Citizen researchers. NYPIRG and the Center for Medical Consumers assisted. http://www.citizen.org/documents/NYFinal.pdf

Eight Injured in NYC Construction Accident

Eight people were injured on Oct. 17, when a New York City construction crane bucket fell 53 floors, crashing into a street level scaffolding structure.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Forty-Second Street.

ANGIE MARTINEZ SURVIVES CAR CRASH

New York radio jock Angie Martinez was involved in a nasty car crash late last week in advance of her first annual Angie Martinez Hair Show and Beauty Expo over the weekend at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

2 people run over in accidents at confusing Brooklyn intersection

NEW YORK - A girl was run over by a cement truck Saturday at a street corner where a woman had been knocked down by a car earlier in the afternoon, police said.

The first victim was a 24-year-old woman who was crossing under a walk light at the Brooklyn intersection, which has a two-way road that cuts through another two-way road and leads into a one-way road. She was hit by a car around 12:30 p.m. but wasn't seriously hurt and escaped with just some bad bruises, friends said.

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NYC Construction Becomes More Deadly

NEW YORK (AP) — Sucha Ram was getting ready to tar the roof of a building in the Bronx last year when he fell over the side, plunging 15 feet to his death. He was not wearing any fall-protection gear and had never received formal training in fall hazards, a report said.

Ram was a 52-year-old immigrant from India, the sole breadwinner of the family — and part of a long line of casualties of New York City's roaring construction industry in 2006.

Forty-three people died while working construction in New York in 2006, the deadliest year in at least a decade in the city, according to recently released data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The death toll was up 87 percent from 2005, when 23 people died. Nationally, construction deaths in 2006 rose just 3 percent.

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Recalls Don't Catch All Products with Lead

Lead can be found in far many more products than toys, and many of those items have not come up for recall, according to a study to be published in the December issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

A four-month investigation found detectable levels of lead in the caps on glue sticks, children's vinyl backpacks, dishware, jewelry, toys and many other items, Consumer Reports said. The investigation examined both products found in stores in the New York metropolitan area and items in the homes of employees of Consumers Union, the nonprofit that publishes Consumer Reports.

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6 Children, 2 Adults Injured in S.I. Bus Crash

The accident was reported after 9 a.m. at Park Hill Lane and Vanderbilt Avenue in the Fox Hills section.

Apparently, the school bus collided with a car and flipped on its side.

EMS officials said all patients were transported to Staten Island University Medical Center with minor injuries.

NYC man dies in Ulster motorcycle accident

KRIPPLEBUSH - A New York City man died Sunday morning after his motorcycle crashed into a vehicle on County Route 2 in the Town of Marbletown.

Larry Eng was pronounced dead at the scene about 11:30 a.m., according to state police in Ellenville.

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New Jersey man admits driving drunk and running down off-duty cop

A New Jersey man who ran down an off-duty police officer driving a motorcycle pleaded guilty yesterday to drunken driving and felony vehicular assault.

Charlie Lin, 29, rammed Brian Rickli's Kawasaki from behind while driving his 2005 Nissan Altima on Route 59 in West Nyack on May 24.

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Critics: ConAgra Mishandled Recall

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Critics say ConAgra Foods Inc.'s delay in recalling pot pies linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak increased the chance that more people would become sick, opened up the company to greater liability, and exposed a key weakness in the nation's food safety system: voluntary recalls.

For more information, follow the link below.

Man in wheelchair critically injured by by 2 vehicles

NEW YORK - A man in a wheelchair has been critically injured by two vehicles while trying to cross a Harlem street.

The NYPD says the 44-year-old man was hit around 6 a.m. Wednesday by a white van traveling west on 125th Street.

Five states to sue U.S. over child health plan

NEW YORK, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Five states said on Monday they will sue the federal government to block new rules governing a children's health insurance program that they fear will force them to drop some children.

New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and Washington will file suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York later this week, a spokeswoman for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said.

Woman Late For Plane Dies In Police Custody At Phoenix Airport

She was late for a plane. She started yelling. She was taken into police custody.

She was handcuffed. She was put in a cell.

And then she was dead.

Yes, there is an explanation for what happened, but it’s a shocker given the fact that she was the mother of three young children, from a prominent New York City family, and she’s said to have died in a way that will raise some eyebrows until the autopsy is done — or perhaps if the matter winds up in court as part of a lawsuit:

Bail set at $75,000 for alleged driver in fatal DUI hit-and-run

Bail was set at $75,000 today for a Baruch College student accused of mowing down a young Scottish woman in a drunken driving accident and then fleeing the scene.

Tenzing Bhutia, 21, of Queens, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

Baby, grandma escape death as semitrailor falls from NYC highway

NEW YORK (AP) _ A baby girl and her grandmother were nearly crushed when a tractor-trailer fell from an elevated highway and smashed down in front of their car, striking its hood.

"I can't believe I'm alive," said Jenetta Christopherson, 61, in Wednesday editions of the Daily News.

She said she was driving her 1-year-old granddaughter, Kayle McGrath, westbound on the Staten Island Expressway on Tuesday afternoon when the truck flew off the highway above them.

One Dead, Four Injured In Queens Crash

NEW YORK -- One person was killed and four others were injured in a car crash in Queens on Wednesday.

Emergency services responded to a one-car on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway just before 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

One person was killed and four people were injured. Two people were treated for serious injuries and another was in critical condition.

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City Report Shows Downward Trends in Claims Filed And Settlement Costs — With Some Exceptions

NEW YORK — The city comptroller issued a report this month showing downward trends in the number of claims filed against the city and in the city’s costs for legal settlements and judgments.
Brooklyn had the highest number of new claims for personal injury and property damage, according to the report, but Manhattan had the highest settlement costs for such claims, among the five boroughs. Brooklyn attorney John Bonina, president of New York’s Academy of Trial Lawyers, attributed the higher number of Brooklyn claims (5,843, compared to 5,646 in Manhattan) to the borough’s larger population and the fact that two of the city’s most troubled hospitals are located here.

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NYPD cover-up alleged in fatal Brooklyn hit-run

It's tough enough surviving the streets of north Brooklyn. It's even tougher when the police break the law, then try to cover it up.

That's the argument made by the family of Bobby Roman, a young motorcyclist killed in July 2006 by a hit-and-run driver in Bedford-Stuyvesant. His family says a patrol car struck Roman, then sped off.

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Subway Supervisor Is Demoted for His Role in Fatal Acccident

The superintendent who investigators said was partly responsible for the death of a subway track worker has been demoted and will be assigned to a job as a cleaner, a person with knowledge of the disciplinary action said yesterday.

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Sprinklers were shut off at site of fatal New York fire

NEW YORK -- The absence of a working sprinkler system in the former Deutsche Bank Building where two firefighters died Aug. 18 was not an accident, city and state officials said Thursday.

Shutting off the system was a deliberate decision made by regulators well before workers started taking apart the toxic, flammable building.

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Burn Victims Sue Over Steam Pipe Blast

NEW YORK (AP) — A tow-truck driver and his passenger who were burned when a huge steam-pipe explosion blew a crater in a Manhattan street last month have sued the city's utility provider, accusing it of misconduct.

Passenger Judith Bailey and a guardian for driver Gregory McCullough seek unspecified damages from Consolidated Edison in the lawsuits filed Tuesday in State Supreme Court.

The victims accused Con Edison of failing to "properly operate and maintain its steam system," thereby creating a "ticking time bomb." More than 12 such pipes have exploded since 1987, including one that killed three people in 1989 and released 200 pounds of asbestos, the plaintiffs claim.

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The Hidden Cost of Foreign Goods

Wal-Mart, Target, and other "big box" retailers are importing faulty and dangerous products into the US faster than our regulatory agencies can keep up with them.

Follow the link below for more details.

Why New York Medical Malpractice Insurance Jumped 14%

You may have seen the screaming New York headlines: Doctors hit with 14% increase in medical malpractice rates! Doctors in high risk specialties paying 6-figure insurance premiums! Insurance reserves so low carriers may become insolvent! Blame the lawyers! came the cry from the doctor’s, for surely it must be due to medical malpractice cases. A little protectionism called tort “reform” would go a long way to curing the problem. Right?

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Bonina: Don’t Blame Lawyers For Med-Mal Insurance Crisis

There is more than mild shock among trial lawyers — especially those who practice in the medical malpractice area — at the news that Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his Insurance Commissioner Eric Dinallo managed to sneak through a 14 percent increase in med mal insurance premiums for which they, as usual, blame the lawyers!
Doctors, of course, were outraged but, in general, were buying into the disturbing explanation voiced by Dinallo, who incorrectly stated that “The cause [for the 14 percent boost] is high medical liability costs.”

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Poll: Americans dislike corporate misdeeds over frivolous lawsuits

OKLAHOMA CITY – Americans are much more concerned about corporate misdeeds than tort reform, according to a national poll conducted for the American Association for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

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Steam Pipe Explosion Triggers Lawsuits

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6 in New York Family Are Believed Dead in Crash in Virginia

Six people killed in a fiery car crash in Virginia on Tuesday are believed to be members of an extended New York City family of Trinidadian immigrants, the police in Virginia said last night.

The police said they had been unable to identify the victims, four males and two females, because of the severity of their burns, and were planning to use dental and medical records.

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Judge Bork sues New York social club over fall

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rejected U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork sued an exclusive New York social club on Thursday for at least $1 million over injuries he suffered in a fall last year while trying to climb onto a dais.

Bork, 80, said the Yale Club in midtown Manhattan failed to provide a handrail or stairs leading to an unreasonably high dais and that he fell as he tried to mount it, hitting his leg on the side of the dais and his head on a heat register.

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LaVar Arrington In Serious Motorcycle Accident

(CBS) WASHINGTON CBS 2 HD has learned former New York Giants linebacker Lavar Arrington was involved in a motorcycle accident in Maryland. He was immediately rushed priority one to Prince George's Hospital Center with unknown injuries, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington.

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Sicko? The truth about the US healthcare system

Cynthia Kline knew exactly what was happening to her when she suffered a heart attack at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

She took the time to call an ambulance, popped some nitroglycerin tablets she had been prescribed in anticipation of just such an emergency, and waited for help to arrive.

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Ala. Judge Asks Criminal Contempt Prosecution of Katrina Lawyer

A federal judge in Alabama wants a prominent lawyer involved in a Hurricane Katrina insurance case charged with criminal contempt for what he said was circumventing his order to give up documents secretly copied by two whistleblowers.

U.S. District Judge William M. Acker Jr. asked the federal prosecutor in Birmingham last week to prosecute Mississippi attorney Richard F. Scruggs and his firm. If the request is denied, Acker said he will appoint another attorney to handle the prosecution.

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Medical Malpractice Insurers Have a Very Profitable 2006

Medical Malpractice Insurers made lots of money during 2006, despite the so-called "medical malpractice crisis."

For more information, follow the link below.

Tape: 911 operators did little to help dying woman in ER

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, died of a perforated bowel on May 9 at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

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NYC Adds WTC Dust Death To 9/11 List

(CBS/AP) A woman who died of lung disease five months after Sept. 11 was added on Wednesday to the medical examiner's list of attack victims, marking the first time the city has officially linked a death to the toxic dust caused by the World Trade Center's collapse.

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Two New York City transit workers killed in less than a week

In the space of less than a week, two New York City subway workers lost their lives in on-the-job accidents and a third was seriously injured.

Daniel Boggs, 42, a veteran track worker, was killed on Tuesday, April 24, at about 11:20 p.m. Boggs, who was married and a father of three young children, was setting up lanterns (to warn trains to slow down due to work in the area) near the 59th Street-Columbus station in Manhattan, when he was fatally struck by a No. 3 downtown express train. He and his crewmates apparently believed that the last No. 3 train had passed after seeing a work train go through, and that it was now safe to resume work on the track.

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Protecting Nursing Home Residents

On April 1, Options for Independence took on a new program through the New York State Long Term Care Ombudsmen Program (LTCOP). LTCOP advocates for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, assisted living facilities and adult care facilities. Options has been designated to operate the LTCOP for Cayuga County. We are taking this program over from the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which has operated the program for the last five years, but is now redefining its mission.

Most residents receive great care in their long-term care facility but then there are those who do not receive the care they need or deserve. Too many residents are the victims of neglect and mental and physical abuse.

For more information, follow the link below.

The FDA Lets Another Dangerous Drug Slip Through

The Food and Drug Administration has let another dangerous drug onto the market, despite being aware of reports that warned them.

For more information, follow the link below.

New York Police Investigate Bus Crash

A small school bus carrying 14 people collided with a dump truck Wednesday, seriously injuring a high school student and two other people, state police said.

The bus was carrying 10 high school students, three staff members and the driver from the Le Roy Central School District when it rear-ended the truck, which was waiting to make a left turn, state police Sgt. Daniel Dedo said.

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Task force won’t recommend booze ban on LIRR, Metro-North

NEW YORK - A task force has concluded there’s no need to stop passengers from drinking on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman said Thursday.

The group found there was no safety risk in letting riders buy and drink alcohol on board, spokesman Jeremy Soffin said. He said the task force decided unanimously to recommend no changes to the railroads’ decades-old policy of allowing alcohol.

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OxyContin: Marketing Addiction

By lying about the potential addictive properties of OxyContin, Purdue Pharmaceuticals drastically affected the lives of thousands of people.

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Time to Reduce Medical Errors with Full Disclosure

Each year in the United States, there are between 44,000 and 98,000 hospital deaths and another 300,000 injuries attributed to preventable medical errors. New York's hospitals are no exception. In fact, a 2006 study of medical errors by the private research group HealthGrades rated New York State's hospitals the second worst in the country.

For more information, follow the link below.

Worker Is Killed by a G Train in Brooklyn

One transit worker was killed and another injured yesterday afternoon when they were hit by a G train at a Brooklyn station, city officials said. It was the second fatal accident involving track workers in less than a week.

The northbound G train hit the workers in the Hoyt Street-Schermerhorn Street station just after 4 p.m. One of them, Marvin Franklin, 55, of St. Albans, Queens, a transit employee for more than 20 years, was apparently dragged half the length of the station and was found dead under the train. The second worker, Jeff Hill, 41, a track worker since 2005, was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was in stable condition last night, the police said.

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Crash Injures 18, and a Driver Is Charged

Eighteen people were injured, one of them critically, after a car ran a red light and was hit by a city bus at a Queens intersection early yesterday, the police said.

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New York Supreme Court Permits Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit to Go to Trial

A New York Supreme Court Justice has ruled that the asbestos exposure lawsuit of a former Elizabeth, New Jersey resident will move to trial in New York City. Leonard Shafer died at the age of 73 from mesothelioma, a rare and incurable asbestos-related cancer. Mr. Shafer's wife Evelyn, now a Manhattan resident, is continuing the lawsuit which is based upon Mr. Shafer's exposure to asbestos at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1950s. Mr. Shafer is represented by mesothelioma trial attorneys from the New York and New Jersey offices of Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP in the case, 03/108297, filed in New York County.

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Injured woman sues CUNY

A Brighton Beach woman is suing the City University of New York (CUNY) system for injuries she sustained while learning the layout of Kingsborough Community College.

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Tort Reform Hypocrisy

Some of the most agressive tort reform advocates in the country have filed a few lawsuits themselves.

For more information, follow the link below.

MAJORITY OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIMS IN SEVEN STATES CLOSED WITHOUT COMPENSATION PAYMENTS

WASHINGTON - The majority of medical malpractice claims in a study of seven states were closed without any compensation paid to those claiming a medical injury, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today.

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Lawsuit filed over pet's death, recalled food

_ A lawyer is filing suit on behalf of a Plymouth woman who fed her cats some of the now-recalled pet food. The woman says one cat died from kidney failure and two others are gravely ill.

Five Connecticut pet owners have signed on to the suit and more are expected as the number of cats and dogs potentially poisoned by the food rises.

Follow the link below for more details.

Merck: Making Profits Mandatory

Merck is attempting to make their new vaccine mandatory for every girl in America.

For more details, follow the link below.

New York Court Rules Girl Can Sue Over Injuries Sustained Before Birth

Brooklyn, NY (LifeNews.com) -- In a landmark ruling, a New York state appeals court has ruled that a seven year-old girl can file suit against the city of Brooklyn for injuries she sustained while she was an unborn child.

When Sarah Elizabeth Leighton was 14 weeks into the pregnancy, her teacher mother was injured when a public toilet collapsed at the school where she worked.

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2005 Deadly Year for New York Construction Workers

Among the 12-largest metropolitan areas in the United States, the New York-northern New Jersey-Long Island area had the largest number of work fatalities in 2005, but it was also the largest area in terms of employment, the Department of Labor said.

In the New York metro area, 52 construction workers died in 2005, according to the federal statistics. Most of those deaths resulted from falls, but they included incidents in which workers were struck by objects or hit by vehicles. No other occupational group recorded more than 15 deaths.

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"Chinatown Bus" Driver Cited with Multiple Violations

The driver of a Fung Wah bus that crashed yesterday near the Allston-Brighton tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike was cited by State Police for speeding, negligent operation, maintaining false driving records , and an equipment violation related to the bus's brakes, adding another black spot to the discount carrier's safety record.

None of the 35 passengers on board the New York-bound bus was injured. The accident occurred in a westbound lane.

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State Farm: Taking Their Billions and Going Home

Why has State Farm stopped writing homeowner policies in the Gulf Coast?

For more information, follow the link below.

Father of Three Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Long Island man is accused of driving drunk and killing a UPS worker heading home from a late shift.

Police say 23-year-old David Thai fell asleep at the wheel on the Long Island Expressway early yesterday, after going out drinking with friends.

Police say he slammed into UPS worker Asim Iqbal's car, which was pulled over on the shoulder of the highway in Dix Hills.

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Looking For Lower Rates On Your Insurance? You Better Get Rich

Do you want lower insurance rates? The fix is pretty simple. All you have to do is go back to school, earn a PhD, and quadruple your current salary.

For more details, follow the link below.

Progressive Insurance: Art for Profit's Sake

The world's largest and most valuable collection of American Art is owned by Progressive Insurance. It's estimated value is over $100 million.

You might want to think about that when they nickle and dime you over a claim.

For more details, click here.

Blistering report on summer subway fire

(New York - WABC, January 17, 2007) - The Eyewitness News Investigators have learned there were major communications problems during a dramatic rescue of some 4,000 subway passengers this past summer.

For several minutes, the transit system had problems talking to the crew on a train stranded after a fire on the Manhattan Bridge. There were also problems in communications between the transit system and firefighters that made the rescue even riskier.

For more information, follow the link below.

Having a hard time contacting an insurance company? Click here.

If you are having a hard time contacting the claims department of an insurance company, we can help. We've compiled a list of every major insurance company working in the United States today.

Follow the link below for more information.

State Farm Settles Katrina Lawsuit, Avoids Trial

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., hit with a $2.7 million verdict last week for denying Hurricane Katrina claims to a Mississippi couple, settled another suit over storm damages, avoiding a Jan. 22 trial.

The plaintiff, Dr. Richard Tejedor of Long Beach, Mississippi, sought $5.5 million for the loss of his home in the 2005 hurricane and for punitive damages for State Farm's handling of his case. The accord, terms of which weren't disclosed, follows a Jan. 11 jury award to a Biloxi couple of $2.5 million in punitive damages. U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr. in Gulfport, Mississippi, gave them $223,000 for their home.

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La. officials say nearly $600M in Katrina aid money hasn’t been sought by New Orleans

BATON ROUGE, La. - New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin often complains about how slowly his city gets federal hurricane recovery money, but a state official said Thursday that nearly $600 million is available - if only Nagin would request it.

New Orleans and the city’s agencies have received nearly $300 million of the recovery money promised by FEMA - 96 percent of the $311 million that the city has formally requested since Hurricane Katrina struck 16 months ago, according to data released by the state homeland security office, which distributes the money.

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Progressive Insurance: Art for Profits Sake

Progressive Insurance is the proud owner of a collection of American Art that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. You should remember that the next time they nickle and dime you on a claim.

Safety Tips for the Holidays

With the Holiday season fast approaching, RGGL thought it would be prudent to share some tips on safety for the holiday season.

Follow the link below for more details.

12 New Yorkers Left Trapped In Cars

(New York - WABC, November 18, 2006) - An accident left a number of people trapped inside their vehicles on the Bronx.

Eyewitness News is told the problem involved live downed power lines. It happened in the Kingsbridge section.
Eyewitness News reporter Carolina Tarazona has the latest.

This accident really caused some major traffic problems in the section of Kings Bridge Saturday night. Live power lines were just down on the street. Eyewitness News was told there were 12 people trapped in their cars.

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City of New York Files Lawsuit to Prevent Health Insurance Merger

MANHATTAN — New York City filed a lawsuit in Manhattan’s federal court to prevent HIP and GHI, two New York health insurance giants, from merging, the city’s Law Dept. announced yesterday.

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ATRA Releases Annual "Judicial Hellhole" List

The American Tort Reform Association has released its Annual List of "Judicial Hellholes." This "award" is given to cities, states, or any geographical area which makes it easy for citizens to file lawsuits.

But are these places "Hellholes," or do they simply respect the rights of Americans looking for redress through the courts?

For the whole story, please follow the link below.

U.S. Senator Learns Harsh Lesson About Insurance

Senator Trent Lott was a big proponent of tort reform, right up to the point that Hurricane Katrina destroyed his beach house.

Will his harsh treatment by State Farm help him change his position?

Insurance Company Tricks: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

Insurers have quite a few tricks of the trade that they use in order to minimize their financial responsibilities to their policyholders.

Follow the link below to find out what they are.

New York Rapper Sues Insurance Company Over Basketball Deaths

(PR-Inside) - Rapper HEAVY D is suing an insurance company for $1.5 million he insists it owes him after nine people were crushed to death in a stampede at a celebrity basketball game in 1991.
The 39-year-old, real name DWIGHT MYERS, says in court papers he purchased a $1 million policy from the National Union Fire Insurance Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the event that he helped organise. Approximately 5,000 people showed up at a City College of New York gymnasium, which had a capacity for only 2,700 people.

For the rest of the story, follow the link below.

RGGL's Fall Newsletter

RGGL's Fall Newsletter contains some of our latest positive verdicts, as well as some information that you might find valuable.

Follow the link below to have a look.

Standard Tricks of The Insurance Trade

Insurers have some very efficient methods of minimizing their financial liability. Find out what they are and how to avoid them.

For more information, follow the link below.

Laptop Computer Battery Recalls Will Cost Sony Millions

The recent safety recall of lithium ion batteries used in computers made by Dell, Apple and Panasonic will essentially wipe out 25% of this years profit.

For more information, follow the link below.

Louisiana Ruling Gives Hurricane Victims More Options

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A state judge Wednesday ruled as constitutional two new state laws giving insurance policyholders more time to sue their insurers or file claims over damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
District Court Judge Kay Bates, who read her ruling from the bench, said the extension of the time periods doesn't expand citizens' rights under existing contracts but gives those who were displaced by the storms more time to enforce their rights.

For more information, please follow the link below.

TWA Flight 800: Fatal Design Flaw Still In Place After Ten Years

When TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air ten years ago, the cause was found to be a surge in the electrical wiring that sent a charge into the fuel tanks. After a decade, the FAA has done nothing to fix this design flaw.

Follow the link below for more information.

Simple Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe During the Summer

Rappaport, Glass, Green and Levine have represented quite a few families of injured children, and with summer here, the odds of your child suffering a serious injury have gone up considerably. Follow the link below for some tips on how you can help your children avoid injuries over the summer months.

There Isn't Anything "Frivolous" About It: A Look At The Personal Injury Process

Initiating legal action is serious business, and a process that could take years. It is important to know when it is appropriate and necessary to seek legal counsel, and also to be properly informed as to what the lawsuit process entails. For a report on the personal injury lawsuit process, follow the link below.

New York Taxi Wreck Kills Passenger

A taxi driver lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a building early Sunday, killing a passenger who was tossed into oncoming traffic, police said.

The wreck killed 20-year-old Danielle Ricco of Staten Island about 3 a.m. and injured four others, including the taxi driver, police said.

For the rest of the story, follow the link below.

FDA's Independent Advisory Panels Have Severe Conflicts of Interest

A recent study of the Food and Drug Administration's Independent Advisory Panels found that many of the Panelists are on the payrolls of pharmaceutical companies.

To see the whole story, follow the link below.

New Federal Privacy Law Poorly Enforced

A 2003 Federal Law designed to protect the privacy and medical records of patients is rarely enforced, according to an article in the Washington Post.

Since its inception, 19,420 Grievances have been filed under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, yet no fines have been collected.

To read the rest of the story, follow the link below.

Bristol Myers Squibb Ceases Manufacture of Dangerous Antibiotic

Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb has quietly stopped manufacturing an antibiotic called Tequin due to several patient deaths. While this can be viewed as good news, the company has made no effort to recall the millions of doses of this drug that are still available at hospitals and pharmacies.

To get the whole story, follow the link below.

Read RGG&L's Spring 2006 Newsletter

National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration Releases Annual Crash Predictions

The NHTSA has released its annual projections for crashes and fatalities on our nation's highways.

Traffic fatalitites are expected to increase by 1%, while injuries caused by crashes are expected to decline by 4%.

To view the entire report, please follow the link below.

Disetronic Medical Systems Announces Insulin Pump Recall

Fishers, IN -- April 3, 2006 -- Disetronic Medical Systems, Inc, (Disetronic) of Fishers, Ind. announced today a voluntary nationwide recall of all ACCU-CHEK™ Ultraflex Infusion Sets, because of a potential that tubing could fully or partially separate at the luer lock-tubing connection. In the event that a full or partial separation occurs, it is possible that insulin could leak from the infusion set tubing causing an interruption of insulin delivery, which can cause hyperglycemia.

Medical Malpractice "Crisis" Officially Over

A study released by Americans for Insurance Reform shows that malpractice rates have remained flat across all 50 states, including those that have not enacted caps on punitive damages.

New study shows U.S. healthcare is worst in prescription errors, health costs

A leading healthcare advocacy group has released a study claiming that the United States has a higher rate of medical errors than several other developed countries.

Thirty-four percent of U.S. patients have received the wrong medication, delayed or incorrect test results, mistreatment or a misdiagnosis, according to The Commonwealth Fund. The U.S. rate is significantly higher than New Zealand, Canada, Australia and England. U.S. patients also paid dramatically higher costs than patients from any of the other surveyed countries.

Suing Terrorists for Wrongful Death?

In what some legal experts are calling a watershed event in the war against terrorism, a federal jury in Chicago ordered three U.S.-based Islamic charities and an Illinois man accused of funneling money to terrorists to pay $156 million to the family of a teenager shot to death in Israel.

Michael Glass obtains $17 millon structured award for birth injury

In this case, the mother began to show signs and symptoms of placental abruption after she was admitted to the hospital. The nursing staff missed the signs, and several hours went by before doctors were notified that an emergency was in progress. As a result, the baby was born oxygen-deprived and neurologically impaired.

Bad Credit = Higher Insurance Rates?

Read about how some insurance industry experts are suggesting the use of credit scores as a determining factor in "risk" evaluation of policyholders.

NEW Rapplaw Spanish Site

You can now read all the information you find on www.rapplaw.com in Spanish at spanish.rapplaw.com. Check it out today.

EPI Weighs in on Inconsistencies of Tort Reform

The Economic Policy Institute, a highly respected, non-profit, non-partisan think tank, recently analyzed the motives behind tort reform and who stands to gain (and lose) from proposed changes to the rights of the injured.