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Lonnie Gates was rear ended by a truck owned by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and driven by Gene H. Longden. Under New York State’s no-fault insurance rule, a person injured in an automobile accident may recover for medical bills and other economic damages from the insurance company covering the vehicle they are riding in, or are hit by, regardless […]
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Syracuse Police Officer Who Ran Red Light Without Stopping Liable for Injuries To Other Driver
In Ruiz v Cope, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department affirmed a decision by the Supreme Court of Onondaga County to award a man money damages after a non-jury trial against a police officer, Brendan Cope, the Syracuse Police Department, and the county. At the time of the accident Cope was being field trained under a […]
Appellate Department Upholds Right of Plaintiff to Impeach Doctor Based Upon 1099 Records
In Dominicci v Ford, an appeal to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department from a July 3, 2014 decision by the Supreme Court of Monroe County, the appellate court affirmed the lower courts decision to deny a request from State Farm Automobile Insurance Company to quash a subpoena for records belonging to a doctor working for […]
8 Tips for Avoiding a Nighttime Auto Accident
Studies show there are increased incidents of auto accidents during than during the day. Nighttime driving can be more than annoying. For some drivers it can also be dangerous. Low-light conditions lead to decreased depth perception, ability to distinguish color, and worsening of peripheral vision. Additionally, people tend to be more tired at night. From bad vision […]
Elderly Driver in Diabetic Shock Crashes into White Plains Gas Station
A 69-year-old driver who was in diabetic shock crashed his vehicle into a gas station off of the Hutchinson River Parkway in White Plains in June 2014. The elderly man, who was incoherent at the time of the accident, was pulled from his burning car by an off-duty state trooper before it was engulfed in flames. The […]
NY Cardiologist Charged with DWI after Car Crash Kills Mother of Three
Thomas Stavola, a 54-year-old cardiologist, was arrested and charged with a DWI in June 2014 after he crashed into a vehicle driven by Monica Peterman, a 45-year-old mother of three. Peterman was taken by ambulance to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Stavola was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Chappaqua Teen Found to Have Been Texting During Fatal Crash
A New Windsor, NY judge has ruled that a teen was texting while driving, leading to a fatal accident that killed his nineteen year old friend, reports USA Today. The driver, also nineteen from Chappaqua, NY, claimed that he had fallen asleep at the wheel. The decedent’s family subpoenaed phone records from the driver during […]
Second Department Affirms Plaintiff’s Summary Judgment in Nassau County Car Accident Action
On November 14, 2012, the Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department, affirmed the Supreme Court’s finding of summary judgment for the plaintiff in an automobile collision action from Nassau County. The facts surrounding the case are simple. The plaintiff’s vehicle was stopped when it was struck from behind by the defendant’s vehicle. Quoting Volpe v. […]
Homicide Charges Dismissed in Long Island DWI Case
A Suffolk County judge has dismissed all charges that had been pending against a teenager in Long Island following a crash that led to the death of a passenger in his car. The accident occurred in the Hamptons last year, and was at first suspected to be a DWI. The DWI charge was dropped when […]
Notice of Claim Against New York City in Bronx Zoo Crash
In April of this year, a minivan carrying a family jumped a barrier on the Bronx River Parkway and plummeted over the side, into the Bronx Zoo. Seven family members were killed in the crash, leaving behind mourning loved ones. The husband of one of the victims of this crash has filed a notice of […]
Supreme Court, Appellate Division Upholds Depraved Indifference Murder Conviction Stemming From Car Accident
Earlier this month, a Brooklyn appellate panel upheld the murder conviction of Franklin McPherson. McPherson was convicted of second degree murder after driving the wrong way for approximately five miles on the Southern State Parkway in October of 2007, eventually striking another car and killing its driver. Defense counsel argued that because McPherson had been […]
Brooklyn Jury Awards $36M to Boy Hit by Speeding Motorist
In May, a Brooklyn jury awarded over $36,000,000.00 in damages in a case involving a 12 year old boy on a bicycle struck by a speeding motorist. The victim sustained fractures of the skull and ankle, as well as brain damage after being struck by the defendant, who, according to investigators, was driving 24 mph […]
“Chopped” Contestant, Debra Whiting Dies Following Upstate Car Accident
Debra Whiting, the co-owner of an upstate New York winery, has died after a car accident on the New York State Thruway near Montezuma, NY. Her husband was reportedly driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. State Troopers reported that 47-year-old David Whiting of Hector was moving into the passing lane when his […]
Long Road to Recovery for Victims of Brain Injuries
After the recent tragic events in Arizona, and as U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ continues on her road to recovery, the media and the general public have an increased focus on brain injuries and medical advances that can lead to recovery from their neurological trauma. As accused gunman Jared Loughner awaits the next phase of his […]
New York State Police Seeking Witnesses in Fatal DWI
New York State Police are seeking witnesses in a fatal DWI crash that left Daniel Macalena dead early Saturday morning. According to State Police Investigator Matt Manza, Macalena, of Wappinger’s Falls, had stopped his vehicle in the center lane of the Sprain Brook Parkway just south of the Jackson Avenue exit when he was struck […]
White Plains Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney Report: Recent Decision Regarding Involving “Serious Injury” Threshold
In a recent decision, the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department held that in a motor vehicle accident, disc bulges and decreased range of motion constitute a “serious injury” under Insurance Law Section 5102. The affirmation of plaintiff’s treating physician submitted to the court was based on a recent exam, as well as examinations […]
New York City Police Motorcycles Involved In Accident While Escorting Vice President Biden
On August 4, 2010, two New York City police officers on motorcycles acting as escorts for Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. were involved in a minor accident. The Vice President was on his way to JFK Airport. Mr. Biden’s vehicle was not involved, and no officers were seriously injured. The Vice President was in […]
New York Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney Report: Man Paralyzed In Hit And Run Recovers $40.8M
A Brooklyn (NYC) jury recently awarded nearly $41 million to a man who is paralyzed as a result of a hit-and-run car accident. Plaintiff, 49 year-old Matthew Falcone Jr., was injured while crossing a Brooklyn intersection in 2006 . Falcone claimed that he was struck by a pickup truck driven by Franklin Williams. Williams did […]
New York Car Accident Attorney Report: $10 Million Verdict For 80 Year-Old Female
A Brooklyn (NYC) jury returned a $10 million verdict in favor of an 80 year-old female, Josephine Pantano, who sustained a fractured neck and a fractured leg in a motor vehicle accident in May 2007. Both plaintiff and defendant motorist contended that the other ran a red light causing the collision. The jury sided with […]
Rye Police Officer Injured In Motor Vehicle Accident
According to a May 12, 2010 Journal News report by Leslie Korngold, a Rye Police Officer, Angelina Santo, was injured in a car accident when her cruiser was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Boston Post Road and Purdy Avenue. Officer Santo was reportedly struck from behind by a Lexus RX330 SUV […]
New City, NY Trucking Accident Leaves Three Seriously Injured
Three members of a Spring Valley, New York family were seriously injured in a trucking accident on Route 304 in New City, NY at the corner of Johnsons Lane on April 8, 2010. The trucking accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. Both the driver, a forty-five year-old woman and her husband were seriously injured in […]
Two Westchester County Residents Charged With DWI After Unrelated Accidents
Two Westchester County, NY residents were charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) after their involvement in unrelated accidents. Debra Heyde, a 49 year-old Yorktown woman, was charged with misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) on March 6, 2010 after her car struck a utility pole on Greenwood Street. She was also charged with various traffic violations. […]
