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New York Child Killed After Being Hit by a Tow Truck, Mother Injured

New York Dump Truck Accident: Dump Truck Operator Killed

Construction Accident in New York City Remembered on Crane Collapse Anniversary

New York Law Will Punish Reckless Drivers Injuring Pedestrians with More than a Ticket If Passed

Car Accident on Slosson and Windsor Kills Woman and Leaves Child in Critical Condition in Staten Island

NYC Building Officials Warn Tenants to Stay off of Balconies to Avoid being Injured or Dying

Staten Island Child Injury Alert: Toy Dart Gun Recalled for Risk of Injury After Two Boys Die

New York Injury News Recall Alert: Graco Brand Drop Side Cribs by LaJobi Recalled because of Risk of Suffocation and Strangulation

Acura ZDX Recalled Because of Air Bag Problems

Over 1 Million Infantano Baby Slings Recalled After Infants Die From Suffocation

Baby Sling Deaths Caused by Suffocation Cause CPSC Warning

Young Women Drunk Drivers On the Rise According to Recent Study

Driving a Snow Covered Car in New York may Soon be Illegal Due to Danger of Injury

Bathrobe to Blame for 9 Fire Related Deaths So Far

Medical Malpractice: When the Doctors are to Blame for Your Medical Condition

Usually when you are sick you go to the doctor to have them help you get healthy again but what if your illness or medical condition was created by your doctor's negligence.  Medical malpractice is something that is not likely to happen to everyone in their lifetime but recent studies by Healthgrades has shown that from 2000 - 2002 an average of 195,000 hospital deaths occurred per year due to potentially preventable medical errors. 

Medical malpractice can come in many forms and often leave the patient feeling untrusting of doctors and like a victim rather than a patient.  Some of the most common ways that medical malpractice can occur are:

• Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose - When a doctor diagnoses you with the wrong medical condition (misdiagnosis) and treats you for something else malpractice can occur because of the wrong treatment or can occur because your true underlying condition is being ignored and not properly treated which causes the condition to worsen.  Another way this may occur is if you are seen by a doctor for symptoms that point to a condition and your doctor fails to catch the condition in the first stages regardless of you being seen and evidence that clearly point to specific condition (failure to diagnose).  Both of these situations can result in permanent injury and possibly even death if not corrected in time. 
• Surgical errors - This type of medical malpractice is often the easiest to spot because it leaves the patient in a large amount of pain and discomfort.  When surgery is done incorrectly and when doctors are negligent medical mistakes that are made can be long lasting and lead to a long term disability, permanent injuries and even death.  Sometimes surgical errors as simple as leaving a piece of medical equipment in the patient after surgery occurs and causes unbelievably painful complications.
• Anesthesia errors - Errors that occur during anesthesia can be fatal often because the anesthesia is given at the wrong dosage or because the injection is made in the wrong area causing paralysis, brain damage and even death.  Anesthesia errors often occur in simple routine situations such as when epidural are given during labor or for back pain management.  If the anesthesiologist administers the epidural in the wrong area of the spine it can cause life lasting disabilities. 
• Defective products - Some types of medical malpractice are not necessarily the doctors fault but rather the manufacturer who supplies the doctors and hospitals with medical supplies and equipment.  If a patient suffers adverse reactions, injuries or is given a medicine that is ineffective the manufacturer may be held liable for their defective product.  A situation where this may not apply and the hospital or doctor may be held liable is if the defective product was recalled and the hospital or doctor did not get rid of the malfunctioning product or recalled medicine. 

Medical malpractice situations do not occur to everyone but happen far too often.  If you look at the news you will notice that every so often (far too often) there are reports of situations where a doctor or hospitals negligence which has left life changing injuries or have left family members grieving over a lost loved one to something that they should not have even died from.  Recently in the news there was a report of a teenage autistic boy who was given a Fentanyl patch when he was not supposed to be given one and he died due to the medical error.  Then a few weeks ago there was an article in the news of a hospital that overexposed over 200 elderly patients to radiation.  This situation occurred when a Los Angeles hospital incorrectly pre-programmed the CT brain scan machines which are used to detect strokes in patients.  When the patients underwent the CT brain scans they were exposed to eight times the normal amount of radiation that is usually given by the machine.  Medical experts are estimating that at such a high dosage of radiation there is a 1 in 100 chance that the patients will develop cancer caused by overexposure of radiation.

If you suspect that you were a victim of medical malpractice you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney.  A medical malpractice attorney will be able to help you determine if you have been injured due to a doctor or hospital's negligence and will present your case for you.  You will want to be sure to keep track of all doctors that you have visited and you will want to give the information to your medical malpractice attorney so that they can obtain a copy of the medical records (this will be detrimental to building your case).  If you need help finding a New York City or New Jersey medical malpractice lawyer click here.

Heparin Injuries due to Contamination and Dosage Amounts by Largest Heparin Manufacturers

(Parents scroll to bottom for important information regarding Heparin and its effects on children)

• Blood in the urine
• Black bloody stools
• Excessive or unstoppable bleeding (most commonly from the nose, gums and/or existing wounds)
• Easy bruising

New York Small Boat Accidents and Watercraft Accidents Cause a Concern for Needed Boat Safety Information

• Avoid alcohol - "Do not drink and drive" is not only applicable for the road but the water alike.  
• Wear a life jacket - A study by the United States Coast Guard showed that 59% of people who were knocked from their boat into the water died because they were not wearing a life jacket.  You do not only want to make sure that you and everyone else on your boat have a life jacket available to them but you will want to make sure that you have one that fits each member properly. 
• Take a boating course - If you are a new boater or just need to brush up on boating safety rules it is always a good idea to take some time out and educate yourself for any type of circumstance that you may encounter when out on the water. 
• Check the weather - Before you go out on your boat make sure you check the weather to make sure the winds won't be too high and make sure the weather will be favorable for boating conditions. 
• Have a pre-departure checklist - Having a pre-departure checklist will help ensure that you are in compliance with fire safety regulations, help remind you to fuel up your boat and remind you of any boating rules that you may have forgotten. 
• Create a float plan - A float plan includes your name, address phone number, names of all of your passengers, boat type, boat registration information, trip itinerary, types of communication and signal equipment on board.  
• Take swimming lessons - If you do not know how to swim but want to go on a boat now is the time to learn how to swim.  People who know how to swim have a higher chance of survival than those who do not know how to swim.  You can take lessons on how to swim at your local YMCA or at another private swimming class in your area.  
• Have another knowledgeable person on the boat - Make sure that you take someone along with you on your boating trip that knows the safety rules and precautions that you want them to use incase they have to take over the boat. 
• Go to a Free Vessel Safety Check - Going to a free Vessel Safety Check at your local US Coast Guard will check the condition and presence of the safety equipment that is required by State and Federal regulations on your boat.  Make sure you find a free Vessel Safety Examiner in your area.  
• Do not speed - Know your surrounding area and know what the safe speed in that area is.  Do not drive your boat too fast or else you may lose control and crash creating injuries to yourself, your passengers and/or passengers on another boat.  

Measures to take to Reduce Chances of Ski Injuries

Earlier this year you may recall hearing a story in the news about Natasha Richards, an actress who died after a ski accident.  Natasha Richards was skiing at the Mount Tremblant Ski Resort last year in Quebec when she fell during a ski lesson and suffered a fatal head injury. 

The interesting thing about Natasha Richard's ski injury was that she did not even know she had suffered a head injury after the fall.  Head injuries are not always apparent and some people may ignore the symptoms because they think it is caused by something else.  When you think of head injury symptoms you usually think of severe symptoms that are apparent to recognize such as numbness of the body, bleeding from the ear, paralysis, speech difficulty or vomiting.  What many people may not realize about head injuries though is that symptoms of a severe head injury could be something as subtle as nausea. 

Studies done by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) showed that on an average 38 people die per year from a fatal ski accident.  Studies also showed that approximately 42 people a year suffer severe head injuries and other serious life-threatening injuries. 

For many ski resorts the statistics from previous years along with the recent death of the actress have sparked a concern in them to to be more proactive in encouraging safety on the slopes.  Last week Mount Tremblant ski resort announced that they will be recommending that all skiers and snowboarders wear helmets when the ski season begins in a few weeks.  Other ski resorts such as Vail Resorts in Colorado announced in April that they will be requiring all of their employees in the 2009/2010 ski season to wear helmets.

Skiing and snowboarding can be a great way to have fun in the winter but before you get on the slopes you will want to make sure you are putting safety first.  Here are a few skiing and snowboarding safety tips to help you and your family stay safe - from minor injuries such as a pulled muscle to more severe injuries such as paralysis or head injury - these tips will be useful to you: 

• Make sure you are physically fit enough to ski or snowboard prior to getting on the slopes.  Making sure that your body is physically in shape throughout the year will help you when you ski or snowboard.  It will help prevent you from pulling a muscle and will help prevent your muscles from getting as sore as they might if you do not exercise throughout the rest of the year. 
• Select the right equipment.  Avoid borrowing ski and snowboard equipment.  Things such as boots and bindings are size specific.  You can not just borrow anyones equipment because it may not be the right fit for you.  You should try to purchase your own ski or snowboard equipment or if you are not able to purchase your own equipment you can rent it when you get to the ski resort.
• Wear the proper clothing.  Wearing the proper clothing when you go to the ski slopes will prevent frostbite.  You may also want to bring a few extra pairs of clothes with you in case your clothes get wet.
• Wear goggles. Wearing goggles will help prevent anything from flying into your eyes while you are going down the slope.
• Take a break.  If you begin feeling over tired or exhausted take a break for a while from skiing. 
• Choose the right trail.  Choosing the right trail will make sure that you don't get injured.  Make sure you are on a trail that you are having fun on, know what you are doing and most importantly one that you won't get hurt on.
• Obey the rules.  Rules and signs are posted around the ski resort for a reason.  Make sure you do not go in areas that are marked off limits and always follow the ski resort's rules. 
• Sign up for lessons.  If you do not know what you are doing or just need to brush up on your skiing or snowboarding skills sign up for lessons.  Skiing and snowboarding lesson usually do not cost much, if anything, and it will help you understand how to properly use your equipment.
• Wear a helmet.  Possibly one of the most important things you can do when you are skiing or snowboarding is wear a helmet.  The helmet should be worn not only while you are skiing on the experienced slopes but on the beginner slopes and during ski lessons. 

Making sure you and your children are properly protected while skiing and snowboarding should be a top priority when you go to a ski resort.  Many times ski accidents occur and severe injuries occur that could have been prevented if the proper equipment was being worn.  So make sure you stay safe while you are having fun this upcoming ski season.

Airbag Defect Sparks Nationwide Recall Due to Risk of Injury and Death

Imagine being involved in a car accident and expecting your airbags to deploy but the airbag never deploys.  One of the things that is most commonly looked for in a car purchase is safety.  A major safety feature in cars that are standard today are airbags.  You trust that if you are involved in a car accident the airbag will deploy and your seatbelt will restrain you, but, unfortunately, many people have found this to be untrue.  Sometimes airbags fail due to a defect in the vehicle's computer system or a defect in the airbag sensor. 

Recently there have been two major recalls issued by leading car manufacturers due to defective airbags that pose the risk of causing serious injury and even death.

The most recent of the two recalls comes from Mitsubishi who, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), announced on September 15 that they are recalling 2010 Mitsubishi Endeavor's manufactured between May 26 and July 28, 2009.  Mitsubishi is recalling the vehicle because the seat mounted side airbag frames are improperly welded.  If your vehicle has improper welding it can cause the airbags to fail to deploy during an accident and can cause fatal injury and possibly even death.  Mitsubishi will be sending out recall notices to its customers and has given anyone owning this vehicle the instruction to take their car to any Mitsubishi dealership to have the welding inspected.  If the mechanic finds a defect with the welding they will fix it free of charge to correct the problem.

The other recall was issued in July for Honda Accords, Civics and Acura TL's.  Over 440,000 Honda and Acura's were recalled during this recall due to an increased internal pressure inside of the airbag.  If the airbag has an increased internal pressure and deploys it may cause metal fragments to pass through the cloth airbag cushion material causing fatal injury or death to the driver and passengers in the vehicle.  So far there have been six reports of injury and one death from the airbag recall.  Vehicles affected by this recall are 2001 - 2002 Honda Accords, 2001 Honda Civics and 2002 - 2003 Honda TL's.  At the original time of the recall in November of last year Honda only recalled a little over 1,000 vehicles but then contacted the NHTSA again in July and announced that the recall would now include 440,000 vehicles.  The NHTSA is investigating Honda's delay in announcing the recall of the larger amount of vehicles.  If Honda is found guilty of delaying a major recall on its vehicles it can be fined up to hundreds of thousands of dollars by the NHTSA. 

If you or a loved one was involved in an accident where your airbag did not deploy and you were seriously injured you may be considering contacting an injury lawyer due to the injuries you sustained and permanent damages or scars that you may have sustained.  Being involved in an accident of such severity is a very serious matter and we at Decker, Decker, Dito and Internicola, LLP do not take this situation lightly.  Contact Frank J. Dito Jr., Staten Island personal injury attorney, to find out how to get your product liability case started against the manufacturer of your car, truck, van or SUV. 

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