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Month: April 2014

construction site personal injury attorney

Determining Fault for New York Fire Killing 2 Children

2 4-year-old children perish in a New York fire

Three children in New York were exposed to a house fire in the middle of the night, and two of the 4-year old children perished as a result. The children were half-siblings. The other child, who was actually a twin of one of the two who died, lived through the event.

The fire apparently started late at night, and not very early the following morning, as officers from the New York Police Department reported getting to the scene just prior to midnight. The emergency responders were able to get the children out of the fire and took them to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, which is where the boy and girl, who had the same father, were declared to have passed away from their injuries.

The other girl who was involved was reported to be in stable condition. Two adults were taken to the hospital, a man and a woman, and they are also said to be in stable condition after getting treatment.

The authorities have not yet released a cause for the fire, as they are still moving forward with the investigation to figure out how, where and why it started.

The investigation after a fire is very important, as it is one of the only ways to determine who is at fault in the incident. It could be found that no one is at fault, but it could also be determined that a fire in a home or commercial area was the result of arson, negligent maintenance or something of that sort. Once the investigation has concluded, those who have suffered burn injuries or the families of those who died may have legal rights to exercise as they seek compensation.

Source: Fox News, “4-year-old half siblings die in overnight New York City fire” No author given, Apr. 20, 2014

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Low-Income Tenant Rights: NY Residence Gentrification Sparks Protests

New York gentrification sparks protests

In Bushwick, New York, gentrification has been an ongoing issue that is now sparking protests from people who live there. Gentrification is basically the process by which an area goes up in price, often due to improvements in the area, making it impossible for people who have lived there for years to afford it any longer. They are then pushed out by the economic changes.

One thing that protestors have talked about is the fact that landlords sometimes seem to want to force these low-income tenants out in any way possible. These protestors even claim that this has led to violations of the Housing Maintenance Code in the city. They claim that some landlords have been refusing to repair things that clearly need repairs, for instance. This is making for unsafe living conditions, with the landlords hoping, in the protestors’ eyes, that they will move out as a result.

This a dangerous situation, and it could even lead to some premises liability cases. Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants, and they need to provide them with safe places to live. If they neglect to do so, or if they refuse to do it on purpose, and the tenants are injured as a result, it could lead to a lawsuit. It is important for tenants to understand their rights, regardless of their level of income.

It is unclear how long these protests will last or exactly what impact they are going to have, but they will certainly bring attention to the situation. The protestors are also hopeful that the newly-elected mayor, Bill de Blasio, will aid them in their cause.

Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “Bushwick residents, elected officials march against ‘negligent landlords'” No author given, Apr. 08, 2014

New York City skyline

19 Largely Construction-Related Lawsuits Brought Against NY Tower

New York tower involved in 19 lawsuits

Extell’s One57 is a tower of New York condominiums, and it is probably best known for the penthouse suite that is on the top two floors — a suite that sold for around $90 million. This sets a high mark for that type of real estate in the city, and it sold before the penthouse was even completed. However, the condo tower has now been in the news for some rather less-impressive statistics; namely, the fact that it is involved in 19 different lawsuits.

Many of the lawsuits come from the construction process itself. For example, one contractor is suing for more than $25 million, saying that the owners of the tower did not give him complete plans in a prompt fashion, slowing down the work he could do and costing him money.

A lot of the lawsuits involve personal injury claims, however, from injuries allegedly suffered by workers who built the tower. In fact, a full ten of these cases have been filed, including one that involves falling objects. That case has been filed by a woman who lost her husband on the job. He was an electrical contractor who was involved in the project. When something fell from the higher stories, he was struck and killed by it.

Construction sites must be safe, but contractors and owners will sometimes cut corners to save time or money – or both. The result can be an unsafe area that leads to injuries or even death, as demonstrated by the cases that have been filed. Anyone who has been injured while at work, or who has lost a loved one to an injury, has a right to seek compensation from those responsible.

Source: The Real Deal, “Extell’s One57 facing 19 lawsuits” Julie Strickland, Apr. 08, 2014

medical malpractice attorney

NYC Apartment Fire Injures 13 People: Possible Compensation

13 injuries reported in New York apartment fire

Thirteen people were injured when a fire tore through their apartment building in New York. Firefighters were able to get to the scene and put the fire out before it could spread to other buildings, and no one was killed in the incident. The woman whose apartment the fire started in got her young sons and her husband out safely.

The man who was injured the most in the fire actually was hurt because of a dramatic fall that was all captured on video by people at the scene. He was trying to escape by climbing out the window, seeing as how smoke was filling the six-story building rapidly. He got out of the window on a bed sheet and then tried to find a tree branch that he could grab and hold onto, but the branch was not able to support his weight. He fell a few stories and hit the scaffold below. Firefighters were trying to come up and rescue him at the time.

The man did survive the fall, but he had to be taken to the hospital with injuries that put him in critical condition. However, despite these injuries, the doctors do expect him to recover.

As of now, no cause has been determined for the fire. Since firefighters know where it began, though, it should not take them long to find out what started it.

One thing that firefighters will be trying to determine is if the landlord is at fault in any way. If the fire was caused by a negligent property owner and not by something that a tenant did, it is important for all who were injured to know what compensation they deserve.

Source: CBS New York, “Man Plunges Several Stories, 13 Injured In Brooklyn Fire” No author given, Mar. 30, 2014

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