Due to problems with drunken pedestrians crossing the roadway and being struck by cars, one Romanian town has installed signs warning drivers to look out for drunken pedestrians. The mayor of the Romanian town of Pecica started the initiative. The signs show the image of a drunken person kneeling next to bottle of alcohol and crawling across the street. It also says “Attention – Drunks”. These signs will be put up in towns with an active night life. The mayor was quoted as saying “We have to target the drivers because by the time the pedestrians get [...]

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Statistics show that 1 out of every 4 motor vehicle accidents involve a driver who was speaking on a cell phone, texting, or otherwise distracted by a cell phone. This includes those who use the hands free ear pieces. Many states including New York have banned the use of cell phones while driving and are issuing tickets and fines. However, the problems continue. Recent studies have found that driving while texting or speaking on a handheld cell phone increases your odds of getting in an accident equally to being intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .08

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A New Yorker from Queens was involved in a car crash with a tractor trailer or 18 wheeler on Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 on I-95 near Stamford, Connecticut. The 29 year old individual, Xiao Yuan Huang, was killed when his car was rear ended by the tractor trailer.

The force of the impact sent the Toyota mini van flying into the guardrail of the northbound lane of the I-95 highway. Mr. Huang had to be extracted from the vehicle and was rushed to a local hospital where attempts to save his life proved futile. The driver of the tractor trailer [...]

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Often times the plaintiff and his or her attorney will make an agreement with the defendants and their attorneys called a high low agreement. The purpose of such an agreement is to set a high or ceiling value as well as a low or floor value for which the case will be resolved. This guarantees the injured plaintiff will receive monetary compensation thereby eliminating the possibility of obtaining no recovery in the event of a dismissal or defense verdict after trial. It also sets a ceiling on the recovery which defendants favor because it prevents them from having [...]

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Two women were riding in a motor vehicle in Brooklyn when a New York City Transit Authority bus disregarded a red light and collided into their car.

At trial, a jury found the NYCTA liable and awarded one woman $7.25 million and the other $250,000.

NYC Transit plans to appeal the verdict.

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Toyota Motor Corp. officials are under fire with questions from Congress during Senate hearings on the company’s worldwide recall of 8,500,000 vehicles. The hearings are underway on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Toyota has attributed the problems to gas pedals that can get covered by floor mats. The gas pedals also stick due to design flaws. Safety experts have said the problem may be with the electronics inside the Toyota vehicles.

An estimated 52 deaths since 2000 have been linked to the sudden acceleration problem.  Toyota is also fixing 1.6 million cars due to oil hoses with leaks.

A large numbers of death [...]

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A 17 yr old employee at Dunkin Donuts in Smithtown, Long Island took out the garbage this past Sunday night and was caused to fall into an uncovered sewage pit. He died as a result. Amiri Zeqiri, 17, slipped into an open cesspool behind the Long Island store, about 40 miles from NYC.  It was the custom and practice of the store to keep a manhole cover over the pit or cesspool, an opening in the ground where sewage and waste drains from sinks and toilets.

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An elderly woman was walking home along a pedestrian sidewalk when she was caused to slip and fall due to an icy condition in front of a red brick building owned by an absentee landlord and rented by tenants.  She sustained a trimalleolar fracture of her ankle which required surgery in the form of open reduction internal fixaton (ORIF). State Farm insurance company was the homeowner’s insurane carrier for the building in question.  Prior to trial, State Farm took a no pay position on this case. During trial, they offered $25,000 due to difficult liability. The trial lawyers at Frekhtman [...]

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