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Month: November 2016

medical malpractice lawyers nyc

Handrails: Preventing Falls & Personal Injury in NYC

Handrails can play a key role in preventing falls

Older individuals can be susceptible to falls. Seniors can suffer serious injuries when they fall. There are many things that can impact a senior’s fall risk in a certain area. One is the handrail situation in that area. Properly placed handrails are among the things that can help seniors avoid falls during activities such as walking and going from floor to floor.

So, when trying to fall-proof a home, among the things it can be important for elderly individuals or their caregivers to give appropriate attention to are handrails and where to have them installed. The handrail situation in a home’s stairways can be particularly impactful. Depending on the specifics of an elderly individual and their home, there could also be other areas (such as certain walkways) where having handrails could be very helpful. As a note, when it comes to handrails in stairways or walkways in the home of a senior, having the handrails present on both sides can be helpful in fall prevention.

Now, their home is not the only place where what sorts of handrails are present can be impactful for a senior. How places like stores, businesses, hospitals, elder care facilities and restaurants act when it comes to where they put handrails and the maintenance and repair of the handrails present in their stairways and other areas can have big ramifications for the safety of elderly visitors, and visitors of any age for that matter. Handrail-related negligence at such places could lead to serious fall accidents.

In your opinion, how good of a job are businesses and other organizations here in New York City doing when it comes to providing visitors with safe handrails in stairways and other areas on their premises?

Source: NIHSeniorHealth, “Falls and Older Adults – Fall Proofing Your Home,” Accessed Nov. 28, 2016

NYPD-officer-on-motorcycle

Take Action if Injured in NY on Black Friday

Take action if you were injured on Black Friday

Black Friday is the one day of the year when shopping is especially dangerous. People turn out in droves to purchase items on their wishlist at incredible discounts, and the desire to get those deals sometimes brings out the worst in people. Pushing, shoving and serious disorder during these sales can lead to accidents that cause injuries.

People who are injured in Black Friday accidents have the same right to seek compensation as those who are injured in accidents on any other day of the year. These victims have the same responsibilities as well.

One aspect of a Black Friday claim for compensation that you must think about is that you must still prove that there was negligence in play when the accident occurred. An example of this would be if a store owner didn’t have enough security in place to handle the crowds and that led to you being knocked down and trampled.

On top of having to prove that the store was negligent, you also have to show that the negligence led to the accident and that your injuries were caused by that accident. You then have to tie in the financial damages you say that you suffered because of the injuries.

Almost all stores that have Black Friday sales are aware that there is a need for increased security and other safety measures. If you were injured because the store didn’t have proper protocol in place, seeking compensation might help you to recover some of the money have to spend on medical bills or that you lost when you were unable to work.

Source: FindLaw, “Can I Sue for a Black Friday Injury?,” Ephrat Livni, Esq., accessed Nov. 28, 2016

discussing client legal settlement

Know Your Options: Seeking Compensation After a Fall NY

Know your options for seeking compensation after a fall

The autumn and winter months are dangerous times to walk on sidewalks. We discussed this issue in our previous blog post. When hazards of the season, or any other hazards, aren’t cleared from the walkways in a suitable manner, it is possible that people can fall and get hurt. If you are injured in a fall on a sidewalk, you might opt to seek compensation for the injuries. We can help you to explore your options for doing this.

We know that you are probably focusing on the treatment plan your doctor has provided for the injuries you suffered. That is exactly where your focus should be after the accident; however, if you opt to seek compensation, you will need to take action within a certain amount of time.

The law in New York sets specific time limits for seeking compensation after you are injured. Making sure that you file your claim within this time frame is critical because you can’t do anything if it passes you by. Losing out on your right to seek compensation means that you won’t be able to hold the person who was liable for the accident accountable for what happened to you. It also means that you wouldn’t be able to recover the money you had to spend because of the injury.

We understand that you likely have some questions and need some help building your case. We are here to help you to learn what aspects of the incident you should investigate and focus on. Once we know the circumstances, we can help you to explore the options that you have for seeking compensation.

outside view of the law firm building

Staying Safe When Out Shopping on Black Friday

Black Friday is now just a few days away. This day sees large numbers of shoppers stream to stores throughout the country to do their holiday shopping and to take advantage of the Black Friday specials stores offer.

Now, on Black Friday, finding good deals is not the only thing that is important. So too is staying safe. Given the high volume of shoppers out on Black Friday, that a lot of the shopping on this day happens while it is dark outside, that there can be a lot of potential distractions out there on Black Friday and that this day can give rise to some chaotic situations, some special safety concerns can arise on this shopping day.

There are various things shoppers can do to try to help protect their safety when out shopping on Black Friday. This includes planning their shopping strategy out in advance, staying attentive when out shopping (both when in stores and when out on the roads), sticking to lit areas when it comes to where they park their car and exercising care when walking in store parking lots.

It is also important for stores to take appropriate measures to ensure their premises are a safe environment for Black Friday shoppers. This includes making sure that:

  • Their parking lots and sidewalks are free of hazards that could cause patrons to fall.
  • There aren’t slipping or tripping hazards in the walking areas in the store.
  • Any stairs, elevators or escalators on their premises that are intended for customer use are in proper condition.
  • Their staff, including security staff, have been properly instructed on how to handle the high volume of customers Black Friday can bring.
  • They have an appropriate level of security present.

When stores fail to provide a safe shopping environment, on Black Friday or any other day, and customers are hurt as a result of it, the hurt customers may be able to pursue legal remedies in connection to their injuries.

We wish all shoppers here in New York a safe and successful Black Friday.

Source: WKBW, “Black Friday safety tips,” Bretton Keenan, Nov. 22, 2016

legal reference books

Response to Panic: Security Personnel and Personal Injury

How security personnel respond to panics matters

One of the important roles security personnel can play is responding when events occur which could impact the safety of people in the area they are working security in. One example of such an event is a crowd panicking. In such a panic, security workers may be able to help calm things down and keep people safe.

Unfortunately though, if security workers respond in an improper manner to the panic, they could end up making the situation worse, rather than better. A recent report suggests that the actions of security personnel in a panic that happened in an airport here in New York earlier this year actually furthered the panic.

The airport in question is JFK. In mid-August, a panic arose at the airport in connection to rumors (later determined to be unfounded) of a gunman being present. In this panic, large streams of people fled from the airport’s terminals. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt in the incident.

Investigators looked into various aspects of the panic, including how security personnel with the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Patrol reacted to it. The investigators’ report was released this week. According to the report, some of these security workers engaged in conduct that was likely to increase fear among the crowds, such as pulling out their weapons or joining the crowds in fleeing.

The investigators recommended that workers at the airport receive training on emergency response. State and federal officials have said that these suggestions will be followed.

As this underscores, how security personnel act when potential emergency events, like panics, arise can have major safety impacts. This is not just the case in airports, but in any place that can have security workers at, including offices, stores and apartment buildings. When a person has been hurt in an emergency event at such a location, how security personnel acted during the event and whether such actions contributed to the harm the person suffered are among the things that can have implications regarding the victim’s legal options.

Source: Reuters, “Security agents fueled panic at New York airport in August: authorities,” David Ingram, Nov. 21, 2016

NYC skyline

New York City Elevator Frightens Visiting School Choir

Visiting choir gets quite a scare aboard New York City elevator

Soaring skyscrapers are one of the defining and most iconic aspects of the New York City skyline. In these towering structures, elevators are one of the main ways from getting from floor to floor. Most elevator trips in New York City skyscrapers go without incident. Unfortunately though, occasionally, something goes wrong with a skyscraper elevator. Last week, a school group from another state had a rather scary experience aboard an elevator in one of New York City’s best-known skyscrapers: the Empire State Building.

The group in question was from a high school in New Mexico. The students were visiting New York as part of a choir trip.

Last Thursday night, 13 people from this school group were aboard an elevator in the Empire State Building. Reportedly, an elevator cable then snapped and the elevator cab became stuck between two floors. This happened nearly 40 stories up.

Thankfully, firefighters responded to the situation and were able to successfully rescue the students. A harness was used to help get the students out of the stuck elevator to safety. The 4 New York article which reported on this story did not report any injuries in relation to the incident.

So, this elevator incident thankfully appears to have had a relatively happy ending. This isn’t always the case with elevator mishaps in skyscrapers. Sometimes, when things go wrong with a skyscraper elevator, riders end up suffering major injuries. When a person is injured in an elevator accident in a skyscraper or some other building in New York, skilled New York Accident Attorneys can provide them with assessments and explanations of their legal options regarding compensation.

Source: 4 New York, “FDNY Firefighters Rescue High School Choir Trapped in Empire State Building Elevator,” Erica Byfield, Nov. 18, 2016

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