Queens Personal Injury Blog

New York certainly has its fair share of bicyclists. Some ride for fun, while others do it as a way to commute or as part of their jobs. Given the extensive amount of traffic in the city, though, these bicyclists constantly find themselves at risk of being hit. A motor vehicle accident that involves a bicyclist can end in tragedy, too, given the fact that these riders lack the protections found in cars and trucks. Even those who wear helmets can be seriously injured or killed by a negligent driver.

Sadly, this was recently the case for one New York bicyclist. According to reports, the woman, who was a delivery driver, was struck by a semi-truck near West 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue. The trucker initially failed to stop, but later returned to the scene after a witness confronted him about it. Even though the woman was wearing a helmet, she was taken to the hospital with serious head injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. A witness said that the woman was thrown several feet into the air when struck by the truck.

There are numerous otherwise safe activities that can become extremely dangerous when conducted behind the wheel. Take a look around when you are driving. Chances are you will see someone engaging their phone, eating, grooming themselves, turning around to talk to others in the back seat or even dozing off. Any of these acts can cause a serious car accident. Far too often the victims of these motor vehicle accidents suffer serious injuries.

Sadly, despite laws against many forms of dangerous driving, the problem seems to be growing. A recent study found that 20 percent of individuals admit to having fallen asleep while behind the wheel, while nearly a third admit to checking their phones while driving. Another 24 percent of motorists admit to driving drunk. These numbers are staggering, especially considering that the real numbers of people who engage in these dangerous behaviors is likely higher because people oftentimes aren't honest when asked to admit to committing these acts.

There are a number of federal and state regulations in place that work to better ensure nursing home safety. While a nursing home's failure to abide by these regulations may be indicative of negligent care of their residents, simply because a nursing home complies with all regulations does not mean that it is adequately protecting its residents. This is because regulations set minimum standards, and even those who meet these low bars can provide substandard care.

This is often seen when staffing shortages put residents at risk. A recent rating of the state's nursing homes shows just how treacherous this has become. In part due to staffing shortages, 107 New York nursing homes received one out of five stars based on a rating model enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. To come to those rankings, the survey considers a number of factors including not only staffing, but also patient injuries, medication management processes and hospitalizations.

Property owners must keep their premises safe for those they invite onto their property. This often means that the property owner, which may include a grocery store or hospital, must take reasonable steps to ascertain and remedy hazardous conditions. Oftentimes slip and fall accidents that leave victims injured lead to premises liability cases because the property owner failed to take the appropriate steps to prevent harm to invitees. While no protections are generally afforded to trespassers, there is one major exception that can lead to legal action.

An attractive nuisance is something that is deemed to be fascinating to a child to the point that it lures him or her onto the property containing that nuisance. Examples include a pool, certain machinery and even stairs. Those who possess an attractive nuisance should take steps to protect children from the hazards those nuisances pose. For example, the owner of a swimming pool who knows that the toddler next door is drawn to it may need to fence in the pool to avoid liability.