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Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota called upon Albany lawmakers in June 2014 to toughen the penalties for hit-and-run drivers. Spota stated that many drivers who are drunk or impaired by drugs often flee the scene of accidents because they know that hit-and-run penalties are not as severe as sentences for DWI charges. Spota remarked, “A drunk or […]
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Nursing Aide Faces Four Years in Prison for Allegedly Slapping Elderly Dementia Patient in the Face
Rose Marie Hall, a 53-year-old certified nursing aide (CNA) at the North Shore University Hospital Stern Family Center in Manhasset, New York, was arrested in June 2014 for allegedly slapping a 78-year-old resident in the face. The resident suffers from dementia, stroke-related complications, diabetes, and behavioral issues. She is totally dependent upon staff members for […]
Nursing Home Fined $5K after Unsupervised Alzheimer’s Patient Chokes to Death
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) fined the Loretto Health & Rehabilitation Center, a 585-bed facility located in Syracuse, New York, $5,000 after an unsupervised Alzheimer’s patient choked to death. According to the DOH report about the incident, the resident was admitted into the facility on July 16, 2012 after she underwent hip-repair […]
Staten Island Fire Injures 34 People Residing in Townhouses
A Staten Island fire tore through three townhouses in June 2014 and injured 34 people, including 23 firefighters and 11 civilians. A spokesperson for the FDNY said that some of the injuries were serious, but none were life-threatening. Officials are currently investigating the cause of the blaze. At 1:00 a.m., 200 firefighters responded to a 911 […]
Nursing Facility Fined Over $6K for Multiple and Chronic Deficiencies that Placed Residents in Immediate Jeopardy
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) fined the Westgate Nursing Home, a 124-bed facility located in Rochester, New York, $6,338 for numerous deficiencies that placed many residents in immediate jeopardy. Some deficiencies were repeat violations that the facility was cited for during previous inspections. In June 2013, a DOH report revealed that the […]
Nursing Aide Loses Certification License after Pinching Patient’s Breast
Elesia Howard, a former certified nursing assistant (CNA) at the Pathways Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a 112-bed facility located in Niskayuna, New York, pled guilty in September 2012 to charges that she pinched a patient’s left breast nipple. The former employee was convicted of Wilful Violation of Public Health Laws and agreed to surrender her […]
NY Construction Company Fined $165,000 after Crane Collapses on Yacht
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) fined Concavage Marine Construction Co., a marine contractor based in Port Chester, New York, $165,000 in May 2014 for a crane accident that occurred over a year ago in Stamford, Connecticut. The accident damaged a $120,000 yacht. The company was issued sixteen citations for crane safety violations. OSHA inspectors concluded that the […]
Federal Report: Motor Vehicle Crashes Cost U.S. Economy $871 Billion Per Year
According to a May 2014 report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automobile crashes cost the U.S. economy $871 billion in 2010. The costs include lost productivity, property damage, and medical and rehabilitation care. The economic impact also includes court and legal costs, emergency services costs as well as costs associated to insurance premiums. […]
Former NFL Players File Class Action Lawsuit Claiming that the League Illegally Provided Them with Pain Medications
In May 2014, eight former NFL players filed a class-action lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court. The suit, which has since been joined by 500 other former players, alleges that NFL doctors and trainers illegally provided them with powerful pain medications in order to ensure that the players could return to the field. The suit claims […]
Self-Driving Cars Raise Safety and Legal Questions
In May 2014, Google introduced its first prototype of a self-driving car. The vehicle doesn’t contain a steering wheel, brake, or accelerator petal. Occupants of the car simply enter their destination into a computer and then hit a button to be driven to their destination. The vehicle is directed by multiple sensors and cameras linked […]
Nursing Home Resident Dies after Staff Member Fails to Administer CPR
An inspection report in July 2013 by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) revealed that a resident of Hornell Gardens, a 114-bed nursing facility located in Hornell, New York, died after a licensed practical nurse (LPN) failed to administer CPR after the resident was found without a pulse and was “gasping for air.” […]
Family of Son Killed in NYC Crane Accident Awarded $1 Million Settlement
Michael and Colleen Simermeyer, the parents of Michael Simermeyer, a 30-year-old construction worker who was killed in a crane accident in April 2012, received a $1 million settlement in 2013 after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit over their son’s death. According to the lawsuit, Yonkers Contracting, the main contractor at an MTA construction project site, failed […]
Eight Victims of Giants Stadium Escalator Accident Reach Undisclosed Financial Settlement with Maintenance Company
While attending a football game at Giants Stadium in December 2007, eight people were seriously injured after an escalator they were riding suddenly malfunctioned. After filing a lawsuit against Schindler, the company in charge of maintaining the escalator, the case was finally brought to trial in January 2012. However, after only one day in the court room, […]
Inmates File Class-Action Lawsuit Alleging Deplorable and Inhumane Conditions in Suffolk County Jails
In April 2012, over 100 former and current inmates at the Riverhead and Yaphank jail facilities in Suffolk County, Long Island filed a lawsuit claiming that the conditions of the facilities were inhumane and deplorable. The lawsuit states that the alleged conditions at the jails violate the inmates’ constitutional rights because the jails’ conditions amount to cruel […]
Mother Files $25 Million Lawsuit after Mentally Ill Son Dies in Custody at Rikers Island
Alma Murdough, whose 56-year-old mentally ill son died while in custody at Rikers Island, filed a $25 million lawsuit in April 2014 against New York City. The suit claims that employees at Rikers Island were careless and negligent after they failed to check up on Murdough’s son, whose cell reached a temperature of 101 degrees. According to […]
DOH Officials: Nursing Home Failed to Take Appropriate Action against Employee who Allegedly Stole Patients’ Medications
In November 2013, the NYS DOH cited Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, an 80-bed nursing home located in Rensselaer, New York, for failing to take appropriate actions against a licensed practical nurse who may have diverted narcotics from patients for her own personal use. The investigation concluded that the problem was “widespread” and place residents […]
Long Island Nursing Home Receives Numerous Citations for Failing to Identify Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders
Per a recent New York State Department of Health (DOH) survey, Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Center, a 353-bed Smithtown, Long Island nursing home facility, failed to have a proper system in place to quickly determine if a patient had a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) in place. The DOH stated that the situation was widespread and placed […]
Ninety-Three-Year Old Woman Killed in East Northport House Fire
According to officials of the Suffolk County Police Department, Alice Woods, a 93-year-old resident of East Northport, Long Island, died in a fire that broke out in her residence in May 2014. At 9:25 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a call about the fire at 55 Grover Lane. Two minutes later, East Northport Fire Department First Assistant […]
New York Man Files Lawsuit Alleging Excessive Force by Nassau County Police Officers
Westbury resident Kyle Howell, 20, filed a lawsuit in early May 2014 against the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) that claims two officers used excessive force against him during a routine traffic stop on April 25, 2014. After being punched and kneed in the face by the officers, Howell suffered from a broken nose, facial fractures, nerve […]
Elderly Residents of Brooklyn Assisted-Living Facility File Lawsuit to Prevent Closure
Seven elderly residents of the Prospect Park Residence, a 120-bed assisted-living facility in Brooklyn, New York, filed a lawsuit in May 2014 to prevent the facility from shutting its doors in June 2014. The lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, is seeking a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order to delay the […]
Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility Citations & Lawsuits
1. Hidden Camera Investigation Leads to 17 Arrests of Nursing Home Employees Charged with Neglecting Patient Seventeen employees of the Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility in Buffalo, New York were arrested and charged in April 2014 with neglecting a 56-year-old resident under their care. The male patient suffers from Huntington chorea, a neurological disease […]
Nine Former National Hockey League Players File Lawsuit Over Concussions
Nine former players for the National Hockey League (NHL) filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court in Manhattan claiming that the league failed to warn players about the dangers of concussions. According to the class action lawsuit, the NHL “fostered and promoted an extremely physical game of hockey.” In addition, the suit asserts that […]
Aide Faces Possible Prison Time after Being Charged with Injuring Quadriplegic Nursing Home Resident
Jolly Stewart, 55, a former certified nurse’s aide at the now-closed John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Suffolk County, New York, was arrested and charged in April 2014 for injuring a 57-year-old quadriplegic patient under her care. Appearing before a judge in Suffolk County District Court, Stewart, a Middle Island resident, was charged with […]
Crash Avoidance Technologies Can Prevent Crashes or Mitigate Injuries Caused by Car Accidents
According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, if all passenger vehicles were equipped with front crash prevention, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and adaptive headlight systems, one in three fatal crashes could be avoided and one in five crashes resulting in an injury could be prevented or mitigated. While […]
Police Arrest 16-Year-Old Juvenile for Setting High Rise Fire that Killed NYPD Officer
Detectives arrested 16-year-old Marcell Dockery for allegedly starting a fire in an 18-story apartment building in Coney Island in April 2014. The fire severely injured NYPD officer Rosa Rodriguez, 36, and killed Dennis Guerra, 38, also an NYPD officer. Both officers were responding to 911 calls that a fire had started in a Coney Island […]
